Domestic Life of Peasants in the Middle Ages

Domestic Life of Peasants in the Middle Ages

Many different classes of people existed in the Middle Ages. Each class had a certain and very different way of life than the other. Peasants in the Middle Ages had extremely difficult lives. Domestic life for the peasants during the Middle Ages was endured with many hardships and sacrifices, but in the end they were just everyday citizens doing what they had to in order to survive.

In the Middle Ages, three distinctive kinds of peasants existed: the serfs, slaves and the freemen. However, the majority of the peasant society consisted of the serfs (Gilberts para. 1). Serfs made up only half of the population for peasants in the 14th century, but during the mid-11th century, an astounding ninety percent of peasants, in distinct areas, were attributed to serfs. A serf was under the command of his lord and had to abide by his rules (Singman 8). He then contained absolutely no political rights (Gilberts para. 2). Alike the serfs, slaves were permitted to be sold and purchased, but, in fact, buyers of serfs did not have full ownership over them (Singman 8). If a serf happened to flee and stay hidden and unrestricted for a total of one year, he could then declare himself a freeman (Gilberts para. 2). Freemen were, indeed, permitted to roam around at liberty and own tiny pieces of land (Gilberts para. 1).

The person in charge of the peasant he “owned” was known as a lord. A lord and peasant were very courteous towards one another because of the fact that a lord, no matter what, could

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not evict a peasant and also a peasant was unable to decline work (Gilberts para. 1). A peasant would work three days a week on his lord’s land. Peasants proved to be very precious to their “landowner because of the work” they were capable of achieving.

Typically, men were in charge of the household and provided most of the food and money for their family. In the Middle Ages, most men were either sheepherders or farmers. Different types of jobs given to the peasants included tasks such as raising crops and livestock and working the soil (Hinds 53). Both the women and children would sometimes take part in these tasks (Hinds 53). Duties given to women consisted of food processing and work around the house such as washing, cleaning, cooking, taking care of the animals and, of course, children and gardening (Barter 51). Little chores started to be given to the children when they reached around five to six years old. Fishing, herding sheep or goats, and gathering fruits, nuts and firewood made up the boy’s assignments. Nevertheless, the girl’s errands involved cooking, helping out with the garden, and, additionally, making clothes (Barter 55).

Most peasants would live in either a “small town or nearby farm on the lord’s manor” (Gilberts para. 4). A manor was made up of “a village and the lord’s house, a church and surrounding farmland” (Langley 14). Villages were where a large number of the peasant’s lived after the 10th century, but, before, most lived on deserted farmlands (Hinds 53). A peasant’s home was one story and consisted of two to three rooms. Walls were made of either mud or clay, straw covered the roof, and dirt was packed down on the floors. Often a storage house, housing for the animals, and also a garden existed (Singman 79-80). Furnishings in the home were scarce. Usually a family owned only a few stools, a table and a chest for storing clothes. Families slept

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on sacks of straw which they referred to as their beds (Gilberts para. 4). In the winter, animals slept inside with the family in order to provide needed warmth (MacEachern 4).

In the opinion of an English poet named William Langland, a peasant farmer was [sic] “a poor man, badly dressed, dead tired from work, shivering in a hovel, who lived life in the most extreme misery” (Barter 46). The “backbone of medieval society” was the farmers (Gilberts para. 3). Agriculture was what the whole village’s economy was based on (Barter 36). Citizens consumed food produced by the peasant farmers whose wives would join in and help with the harvesting (Hinds 22). It was crucial for farmers to realize when it was the right time to harvest (Barter 40-42). A small fraction of land was given to the peasant’s from their lords in exchange for their demanding hours of labor (Jordan 116-117). Cultivating the fields started during spring in order for satisfying crops by the end of summer (Barter 36). Regardless, there was a good chance of a peasant not having a sufficient amount of food if it rained eminently, therefore the family would starve to death. After harvesting and giving away the designated amount of bushels to the church and lord, a family would have around only two to four bushels of grain