In the Middle Ages, they were concentrated around the castles of feudal lords, and the peasants were completely dependent on these masters. This happened because at the dawn of the formation of feudalism, kings gave away lands to their vassals along with the people living on them. In addition, internal and external wars, in which the medieval society was constantly, ruined the peasants. It often happened that the peasants themselves asked the feudal lords for help when they could not independently protect themselves from the raids and robberies of their neighbors or strangers. In such cases, they had to give their allotments to the feudal protector and found themselves completely dependent on him. Peasants who were officially free but had no rights to own land were called land dependents. In France, England, Italy and West Germany they were called Villans. Peasants personally dependent were the most disenfranchised. In Spain they were called Remens, in France they were called Serves. And in England, even villans had no right to leave their master under any circumstances.

In addition to taxes, the peasants paid their lord for the use of his mill, oven, grape press and other devices that were not in the peasant household. Most often, the peasants gave away part of their products for this: grain, wine, honey, etc. In order to gain freedom (this became possible in the 12th-13th centuries), the peasants could pay a large ransom, but the land still remained in the possession of the feudal lord.

The Scandinavian peasants of the Middle Ages were in the most advantageous position: they were free owners of the land, but had to pay a certain percentage of their production. The life of the peasants in medieval times, as now, was harder and more severe than the life of the townspeople. In order to grow a crop, it was necessary to work tirelessly for many months and pray to God for favorable weather, so that the breadwinner would not be taken to the next war, so that several dozen horsemen from the feudal lord’s retinue would not ride across the peasant field in pursuit of a forest animal during the hunt so that the vegetables are not gnawed by hares, and the grain is not pecked by birds, so that some dashing people do not burn, ruin the harvest. And even if everything goes well, the grown is unlikely to be enough to feed a usually very large family to the full. Part of the harvest must be given to the feudal lord, part - to be left for seeds, and the rest - to the family.

Peasants lived in small houses covered with reeds or straw. The smoke from the hearth swirled right into the living quarters, the walls of which were eternally black with soot. There were either no windows at all, and if there were, they were very small and without glass, since glass was too expensive for a poor peasant. In the cold season, these holes were simply plugged with some rags. In winter, peasants often even kept their few cattle in their homes. It was dark, crowded, smoky in the houses of medieval peasants. On winter evenings, in the dim light of a torch (candles were expensive), the peasant made or repaired something, his wife sewed, wove, spun. The food in the house was meager and monotonous: cakes, stews, cereals, vegetables. Bread was often not enough until the next harvest. In order not to use the feudal mill (after all, you have to pay for it), the peasants simply crushed the grain in a dugout wooden bowl - it turned out something like flour. And in the spring again plow, sow, protect the fields. And pray, pray earnestly, so that there will be no frost on the shoots, so that there will be no drought, fire or other disaster. So that plague and pestilence do not come to the village, so that another military campaign does not happen this year, for participation in which their sons could be taken away. God is merciful, although His will is holy for everything.

The term "Middle Ages" is most applicable to Western Europe, because it was here that all those phenomena that are firmly connected with ideas about the Middle Ages took place. These are castles, knights and much more. The peasants in this society had their own place, which remained virtually unchanged for several centuries.

At the turn of the VIII and IX centuries. in the Frankish state (it united France, Germany and most of Italy) there was a revolution in relations around land ownership. There was a feudal system, which was the basis of medieval society.

Kings (holders of supreme power) relied on the support of the army. For the service close to the monarch received large land. Over time, a whole class of wealthy feudal lords appeared who had huge territories within the state. The peasants who lived on these lands became their property.

The meaning of the church

Another major landowner was the church. Monastic allotments could cover many square kilometers. How did peasants live in the Middle Ages on such lands? They received a small personal allotment, and in exchange for this they had to work a certain number of days on the owner's territory. It was economic coercion. It affected almost all European countries except Scandinavia.

The church played a big role in the enslavement and dispossession of the villagers. The life of the peasants was easily regulated by the spiritual authorities. The common people were instilled with the idea that uncomplaining work for the church or the transfer of land to it would later affect what would happen to a person after death in heaven.

The impoverishment of the peasants

The existing feudal land ownership ruined the peasants, almost all of them lived in noticeable poverty. This was due to several phenomena. Due to regular military service and work for the feudal lord, the peasants were cut off from their own land and had practically no time to deal with it. In addition, a variety of taxes from the state fell on their shoulders. Medieval society was based on unjust prejudices. For example, peasants were subject to the highest judicial fines for misdemeanors and violations of the law.

Villagers were deprived of their own land, but never driven off it. Subsistence farming was then the only way to survive and earn money. Therefore, the feudal lords offered landless peasants to take their land in exchange for numerous obligations, which are described above.

precarium

The main mechanism for the emergence of European serfdom was the precarium. This was the name of the contract, which was concluded between the feudal lord and the impoverished landless peasant. In exchange for possession of an allotment, the plowman was obliged either to pay dues or to perform regular corvée. The medieval village and its inhabitants were often wholly connected with the feudal lord by a contract of precaria (literally, "transferred at the request"). The use could be given for several years or even for life.

If at first the peasant found himself only in land dependence on the feudal lord or the church, then over time, due to impoverishment, he also lost his personal freedom. This process of enslavement was a consequence of the difficult economic situation experienced by the medieval village and its inhabitants.

The power of the big landowners

The poor man, who was unable to pay the entire debt to the feudal lord, fell into bondage in relation to the creditor and, in fact, turned into a slave. In general, this led to the fact that large land holdings absorbed small ones. This process was also facilitated by the growth political influence feudal lords. Thanks to a large concentration of resources, they became independent of the king and could do whatever they wanted on their land, regardless of the laws. The more the middle peasants became dependent on the feudal lords, the stronger the power of the latter grew.

The way peasants lived in the Middle Ages often depended on justice as well. This kind of power also ended up in the hands of the feudal lords (on their land). The king could declare the immunity of a particularly influential duke so as not to go into conflict with him. Privileged feudal lords could, without regard to central government judge their peasants (in other words, their property).

Immunity also gave the right to a large owner to personally collect all the cash receipts that went to the treasury of the crown (judicial fines, taxes and other fees). Also, the feudal lord became the leader of the militia of peasants and soldiers, which gathered during the war.

Immunity granted by the king was only a formalization of the system of which feudal landownership was a part. Large proprietors owned their privileges long before obtaining permission from the king. Immunity only gave legitimacy to the order in which the life of the peasants passed.

Votchina

Before there was a revolution in land relations, the main economic unit of Western Europe was the rural community. Also called stamps. Communities lived freely, but at the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries they were a thing of the past. In their place came the estates of large feudal lords, to whom serf communities were subordinate.

They could be very different in their structure, depending on the region. For example, in the north of France, large estates were common, which included several villages. In the southern provinces of the common Frankish state, the medieval society in the village lived in small estates, which could be limited to a dozen households. This division into European regions was preserved and existed until the abandonment of the feudal system.

The structure of the estate

The classical estate was divided into two parts. The first of these was the master's domain, where the peasants worked on strictly defined days, serving their duty. The second part included the yards of the villagers, because of which they became dependent on the feudal lord.

The labor of the peasants was necessarily used in the manor's estate, which, as a rule, was the center of the patrimony and the master's allotment. It included a house and a yard, on which there were various outbuildings, kitchen gardens, orchards, vineyards (if the climate allowed). The master craftsmen also worked here, without whom the landowner also could not do. The estate also often had mills and a church. All this was considered the property of the feudal lord. What the peasants owned in the Middle Ages was located on their plots, which could be located in strips with the landowner's allotments.

Dependent rural workers had to work on the plots of the feudal lord with the help of their inventory, as well as bring their livestock here. Real slaves were used less often (this social stratum was much smaller in number).

The arable allotments of the peasants were adjacent to each other. They had to use a common area for grazing livestock (this tradition remained with the time of the free community). The life of such a collective was regulated with the help of a rural gathering. It was chaired by the headman, who was elected by the feudal lord.

Features of subsistence farming

Subsistence farming prevailed in the patrimony. This was due to the low development of productive forces in the countryside. In addition, there was no division of labor between artisans and peasants in the village, which could increase its productivity. That is, handicraft and domestic work appeared as a by-product of agriculture.

Dependent peasants and artisans provided the feudal lord with various clothes, shoes, and the necessary equipment. What was produced in the estate was for the most part used at the court of the owner and rarely ended up in the personal property of the serfs.

Peasant trade

The lack of circulation of goods hindered trade. Nevertheless, it is wrong to say that it did not exist at all, and that the peasants did not participate in it. There were markets, fairs, and money circulation. However, all this did not affect the life of the village and the patrimony. The peasants had no means of independent subsistence, and frail trade could not help them pay off the feudal lords.

With the proceeds from trade, in the village they bought what they could not produce on their own. The feudal lords purchased salt, weapons, as well as rare luxury items that merchants from overseas countries could bring. Rural residents did not participate in such transactions. That is, trade satisfied only the interests and needs of the narrow elite of society, which had extra money.

Peasant protest

The way peasants lived in the Middle Ages depended on the size of the dues paid to the feudal lord. Most often it was given in kind. It could be grain, flour, beer, wine, poultry, eggs, or handicrafts.

The deprivation of the remnants of property provoked protests from the peasantry. He could express himself in various forms. For example, villagers fled from their oppressors or even staged mass riots. Peasant uprisings each time they were defeated due to spontaneity, fragmentation and disorganization. At the same time, even they led to the fact that the feudal lords tried to fix the amount of duties in order to stop their growth, as well as increase discontent among the serfs.

Rejection of feudal relations

The history of peasants in the Middle Ages is a constant confrontation with large landowners with varying success. These relations appeared in Europe on the ruins of ancient society, where classical slavery generally reigned, especially pronounced in the Roman Empire.

The rejection of the feudal system and the enslavement of the peasants took place in modern times. It was facilitated by the development of the economy (primarily light industry), the industrial revolution and the outflow of the population to the cities. Also at the turn of the Middle Ages and the New Age in Europe, humanistic sentiments prevailed, which put individual freedom at the head of everything else.

The peasants, who had only limited rights to land - the main wealth of the Middle Ages - occupied a subordinate position in society. But it was their work that was its foundation.

Peasants and seniors

In the Middle Ages, those who worked - and more than 90% of them were peasants - were considered the third estate, necessary, but the lowest. Their low position was associated with dependence and the fact that they did not own land - it was the property of the lord. At the same time, it was believed that the peasant feeds everyone and that his work is pleasing to God.

The lord's land was usually divided into two parts. He left one for himself: forests for hunting, meadows where his horses grazed, the master's economy. The entire harvest from the master's field went to the seigneur's estate. Another part of the land was divided into allotments, which were transferred to the peasants. For the use of the land, the peasants bore duties in favor of the lord: they worked on the master's field (corvée), paid dues in food or money, and there were other duties. The seigneur also judged the peasants.

Free peasants by the XII century. almost non-existent in Western Europe. But all of them were not free in different ways. Some carried small duties, while others worked for a long time on corvée or gave half of the crop to the lord. The most difficult situation was personally dependent peasants . They carried duties both for the land and for themselves personally.

Peasant duties were often very burdensome, but they did not change for a long time. And if the lords tried to increase them, violating a long-standing custom, then the peasants resisted, sought justice in the court of the king, or even rebelled.

Life in a medieval village

In the early Middle Ages in agriculture a three-field system spread, in which crops alternated in a certain order and the lands were less depleted. Productivity remained low: in the XI-XIII centuries. from each sack of sown grain, a crop was harvested from two to four sacks. But the peasant had to leave the seeds for sowing, give the tithe to the church and the quitrent to the seigneur, and live with his family for the rest until the next harvest! Even in good years, many peasants were malnourished, but crop failures and crop failures often occurred, causing famine and disease. The well-being of the peasant could easily be destroyed by the raid of the enemy, and the strife of the feudal lords, and the arbitrariness of the lord.

The life of the peasants flowed slowly and monotonously. Her rhythm was set by nature itself. It was easier to survive together, and the peasants of one or more villages united in community. Many issues were discussed at her meetings. She determined how to sow the field, established rules for the use of common village lands (hayfield, pasture, forest), resolved disputes between peasants, organized assistance to those in need, maintained order in the district.

Natural economy

The peasants provided food for themselves, and their lord with his people, and the nearest city. Almost everything necessary for life was produced in every village. They bought little, and there was nothing to pay for the purchases.

This situation, when almost everything necessary is not bought, but produced locally, is called subsistence farming. In the early Middle Ages, it dominated, but something still had to be bought or bartered, such as salt. Yes, and seniors needed expensive and prestigious goods: fine fabrics, good weapons, thoroughbred horses; all this was brought from afar. So even with subsistence farming, trade did not completely stop. material from the site

Harvest. Stained glass window of the 12th century

Shearing. Miniature of the 15th century.

peasant culture

The peasants, in addition to labor, knew how to enjoy their rest. On holidays they sang and danced, competed in strength and dexterity. Peasant holidays, although they were consecrated by Christianity, but often ascended to pagan rites. Yes, and the peasants themselves believed in witchcraft and brownies.

The medieval village was almost entirely illiterate. But oral folk art - old songs, fairy tales and proverbs - absorbed folk wisdom. The peasants' dream of justice was embodied in the image of a noble robber avenging the offended. So, English ballads tell about the fearless Robin Hood, a well-aimed shooter and defender of ordinary people.

In the spring, the peasants plowed the land, sowed spring crops, took care of the vineyards. In the summer, hay was harvested, the ripened crop was reaped with sickles, grain was poured into the bins. In autumn they harvested grapes, made wine, sowed winter crops. During the harvest, when the fate of the harvest was decided, they worked from dawn to dusk. Then there was a short rest period. And now it's time to prepare for a new field campaign.

On this page, material on the topics:

• Presentation of the peasants in the village of the Middle Ages

• Life of peasants in a medieval village

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Publication date: 07.07.2013

The Middle Ages originate from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and end around the 15th - 17th centuries. The Middle Ages are characterized by two opposite stereotypes. Some believe that this is the time of noble knights and romantic stories. Others believe that this is a time of disease, dirt and immorality...

Story

The very term "Middle Ages" was first introduced in 1453 by the Italian humanist Flavio Biondo. Prior to this, the term "dark ages" was used, which at the moment denotes a narrower segment of the time period of the Middle Ages (VI-VIII centuries). This term was introduced into circulation by the professor of the Gallic University Christopher Cellarius (Keller). This person also shared world history for antiquity, the Middle Ages and modern times.
It is worth making a reservation, saying that this article will focus specifically on the European Middle Ages.

This period is characterized by a feudal system of land use, when there was a feudal landowner and a peasant who was half dependent on him. Also characteristic:
- hierarchical system relations between feudal lords, which consisted in the personal dependence of some feudal lords (vassals) on others (seigneurs);
- the key role of the church, both in religion and in politics (inquisitions, church courts);
- ideals of chivalry;
- the heyday of medieval architecture - Gothic (including in art).

In the period from the X to the XII centuries. the population of European countries is increasing, which leads to changes in the social, political and other spheres of life. Starting from the XII - XIII centuries. in Europe there has been a sharp rise in the development of technology. More inventions were made in a century than in the previous thousand years. During the Middle Ages, cities develop and grow rich, culture is actively developing.

With the exception of of Eastern Europe which was invaded by the Mongols. Many states of this region were plundered and enslaved.

Life and life

The people of the Middle Ages were highly dependent on weather conditions. So, for example, the great famine (1315 - 1317), which happened due to unusually cold and rainy years that ruined the harvest. As well as plague epidemics. Exactly climatic conditions determined to a large extent the way of life and type of activity of medieval man.

During the early Middle Ages, a very large part of Europe was covered with forests. Therefore, the economy of the peasants, in addition to agriculture, was largely oriented towards forest resources. Herds of cattle were driven into the forest to graze. In the oak forests, pigs gained fat by eating acorns, thanks to which the peasant received a guaranteed supply of meat food for the winter. The forest served as a source of firewood for heating and, thanks to it, charcoal was made. He brought variety to the food of a medieval person, tk. all kinds of berries and mushrooms grew in it, and it was possible to hunt outlandish game in it. The forest was the source of the only sweet of that time - the honey of wild bees. Resins could be collected from trees to make torches. Thanks to hunting, it was possible not only to feed, but also to dress up, the skins of animals were used for sewing clothes and for other household purposes. In the forest, in the clearings, it was possible to collect medicinal plants, the only medicines of that time. The bark of trees was used to mend animal skins, and the ashes of burnt bushes were used to bleach fabrics.

As well as climatic conditions, the landscape determined the main occupation of people: cattle breeding prevailed in the mountainous regions, and agriculture prevailed in the plains.

All the troubles of a medieval person (diseases, bloody wars, famine) led to the fact that the average life expectancy was 22 - 32 years. Few survived until the age of 70.

The way of life of a medieval person depended largely on his place of residence, but at the same time, people of that time were quite mobile, and, one might say, were constantly on the move. At first, these were echoes of the great migration of peoples. Subsequently, other reasons pushed people on the road. Peasants moved along the roads of Europe, singly and in groups, looking for a better life; "knights" - in search of exploits and beautiful ladies; monks - moving from monastery to monastery; pilgrims and all kinds of beggars and vagabonds.

Only over time, when the peasants acquired certain property, and the feudal lords acquired large lands, then cities began to grow and at that time (approximately the 14th century) Europeans became “homebodies”.

If we talk about housing, about the houses in which medieval people lived, then most of the buildings did not have separate rooms. People slept, ate and cooked in the same room. Only over time, wealthy citizens began to separate the bedroom from the kitchens and dining rooms.

Peasant houses were built of wood, in some places preference was given to stone. Roofs were thatched or reeds. There was very little furniture. Mostly chests for storing clothes and tables. Slept on benches or beds. The bed was a hayloft or a mattress stuffed with straw.

Houses were heated by hearths or fireplaces. Furnaces appeared only at the beginning of the XIV century, when they were borrowed from the northern peoples and Slavs. The dwellings were lit with tallow candles and oil lamps. Expensive wax candles could only be purchased by rich people.

Food

Most Europeans ate very modestly. They usually ate twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. Everyday food was rye bread, cereals, legumes, turnips, cabbage, grain soup with garlic or onions. Little meat was consumed. Moreover, during the year there were 166 days of fasting, when meat dishes were forbidden to be eaten. Fish was much more in the diet. Of the sweets, there was only honey. Sugar came to Europe from the East in the 13th century. and was very expensive.
In medieval Europe they drank a lot: in the south - wine, in the north - beer. Herbs were brewed instead of tea.

The dishes of most Europeans are bowls, mugs, etc. were very simple, made of clay or tin. Products made of silver or gold were used only by the nobility. There were no forks; they ate with spoons at the table. Pieces of meat were cut off with a knife and eaten with the hands. The peasants ate food from one bowl with the whole family. At the feasts of the nobility, they put one bowl and a goblet for wine on two. The bones were thrown under the table, and the hands were wiped with a tablecloth.

Cloth

As for clothing, it was largely unified. Unlike antiquity, the church considered the glorification of the beauty of the human body to be sinful and insisted that it be covered with clothes. Only by the XII century. the first signs of fashion began to appear.

The change in clothing style reflected the then social preferences. The opportunity to follow the fashion had mainly representatives of the wealthy strata.
The peasant usually wore a linen shirt and pants to the knees or even to the ankles. The outer garment was a cloak, tied at the shoulders with a clasp (fibula). In winter, they wore either a roughly combed sheepskin coat or a warm cape made of dense fabric or fur. Clothing reflected a person's place in society. The attire of the wealthy was dominated by bright colors, cotton and silk fabrics. The poor were content with dark clothes made of coarse homespun cloth. Shoes for men and women were leather pointed boots without hard soles. Hats originated in the 13th century. and have changed continuously since then. Habitual gloves acquired importance during the Middle Ages. Shaking hands in them was considered an insult, and throwing a glove to someone was a sign of contempt and a challenge to a duel.

The nobility liked to add various decorations to their clothes. Men and women wore rings, bracelets, belts, chains. Very often, these things were unique pieces of jewelry. For the poor, all this was unattainable. Wealthy women spent considerable money on cosmetics and perfumes, which were brought by merchants from eastern countries.

stereotypes

As a rule, certain ideas about something are rooted in the public mind. And ideas about the Middle Ages are no exception. First of all, it concerns chivalry. Sometimes there is an opinion that the knights were uneducated, stupid dorks. But was it really so? This statement is too categorical. As in any community, representatives of the same class could be completely different people. For example, Charlemagne built schools, knew several languages. Richard the Lionheart, considered a typical representative of chivalry, wrote poems in two languages. Karl the Bold, who is often described in literature as a kind of boor-macho, knew Latin very well and loved to read ancient authors. Francis I patronized Benvenuto Cellini and Leonardo da Vinci. The polygamist Henry VIII knew four languages, played the lute and loved the theatre. Should the list continue? These were all sovereigns, models for their subjects. They were guided by them, they were imitated, and those who could knock the enemy off his horse and write an ode to the Beautiful Lady enjoyed respect.

Regarding the same ladies, or wives. There is an opinion that women were treated as property. And again, it all depends on how the husband was. For example, Senor Etienne II de Blois was married to a certain Adele of Normandy, daughter of William the Conqueror. Étienne, as it was then customary for a Christian, went to Crusades while his wife stayed at home. It would seem that there is nothing special in all this, but Etienne's letters to Adele have survived to our time. Tender, passionate, yearning. This is evidence and an indicator of how a medieval knight could treat his own wife. You can also remember Edward I, who was killed by the death of his beloved wife. Or, for example, Louis XII, who, after the wedding, from the first debauchee of France turned into a faithful husband.

Talking about cleanliness and pollution levels medieval cities, also often go too far. To the extent that they claim that human waste in London merged into the Thames, as a result of which it was a continuous stream of sewage. Firstly, the Thames is not the smallest river, and secondly, in medieval London, the number of inhabitants was about 50 thousand. So they simply could not pollute the river in this way.

The hygiene of medieval man was not as terrible as it seems to us. They are very fond of citing the example of Princess Isabella of Castile, who made a vow not to change linen until victory is won. And poor Isabella kept her word for three years. But this act of hers caused a great resonance in Europe, a new color was even invented in honor of her. But if you look at the statistics of soap production in the Middle Ages, you can understand that the statement that people did not wash for years is far from the truth. Otherwise, why would such an amount of soap be needed?

In the Middle Ages, there was no such need for frequent washing, as in modern world - environment was not as catastrophically polluted as it is now ... There was no industry, the food was without chemicals. Therefore, water, salts, and not all those chemicals that are full in the body of a modern person, were released with human sweat.

Another stereotype that has become entrenched in the public mind is that everyone stank terribly. Russian ambassadors at the French court complained in letters that the French "stink terribly." From which it was concluded that the French did not wash, stank and tried to drown out the smell with perfume. They really used spirits. But this is explained by the fact that in Russia it was not customary to suffocate strongly, while the French simply poured perfume on them. Therefore, for a Russian person, a Frenchman who smelled abundantly of spirits was "stinking like a wild beast."

In conclusion, we can say that the real Middle Ages was very different from the fairy-tale world of chivalric novels. But at the same time, some facts are largely distorted and exaggerated. I think the truth is, as always, somewhere in the middle. As always, people were different and they lived differently. Some things really seem wild compared to modern ones, but all this happened centuries ago, when mores were different and the level of development of that society could not afford more. Someday, for the historians of the future, we will also find ourselves in the role of a “medieval man”.

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3.1.Position of peasants in medieval society. The role of peasants in society was determined by the theory of three social groups, according to which society was compared to the human body. Since spirituality and moral principles are necessary in a person’s life, therefore priests pray to God for everyone. The rulers of the country and the nobility were compared with hands, they were warriors fighting for the interests of the whole society. And the peasants were compared with the legs, they must feed and clothe their masters.

People were inspired that just as the organs of the human body complement each other, so the priests, gentlemen and peasants need each other. Therefore, people were called to live in harmony and friendship, because a person's foot is not an enemy to his hand, but his hand is to his soul.

Unlike slaves, peasants took care of and improved their tools. The labor of a peasant was more productive than that of a slave, which led to the rise of the feudal economy.

3.2. Stratification of peasants. During the period of feudalism, the peasants were divided into dependent and free. Dependent peasants were completely subordinate to the power of the feudal lords, who had the right to sell, exchange and donate them, but did not have the right to kill. When escaping, the dependent peasant was searched for and returned to the owner. Former slaves gradually fell into the ranks of dependent peasants. Such peasants in France were called "serves".

Free peasants in England were called "villans". They were free to dispose of their property and tools. Free peasants had the right to leave their land allotments as an inheritance to children.

3.3. The duties of the peasants. For the use of land, the peasants had to bear duties, the main of which were corvée and dues. Corvee called all the gratuitous work of the peasants in the economy of the feudal lord, i.e. labor processing. Peasants had to give quitrent to the owner of the estate - a share of the products of their farm.

At the same time, the peasants were involved in "public works". For example, once a year they had to take part in the construction of a bridge, repair roads and other works for free. In favor of the church, the peasants had to give the church tithe - a tenth of the harvest and the offspring of livestock.

3.4. Life of peasants. The life of medieval peasants was hard. Due to the weak development of production, all their household utensils were crude and primitive. All the things necessary for everyday life were made by the peasants themselves. Usually houses were built of wood and stone. The roof was covered with reeds or straw. Instead of windows, small holes were made.

When heating, stove smoke filled the entire room, since the houses did not have chimneys. In extreme cold, small cattle were kept right in the house. Clothes were sewn from homespun cloth, canvas, and roughly processed skins. Shoes were made from leather, plant stems, and tree bark.

3.5. The struggle of the peasants against the feudal lords. The peasants were not really interested in increasing labor productivity, since the feudal lords and the king imposed excessive taxes and duties on them. With low yields, the peasants had little surplus, which the feudal lords confiscated from them.

Medieval documents say that many feudal lords treated the peasants with disdain, considering them "lazy", "ignorant", "rude". In turn, the peasants called their feudal lords "stingy", "cruel" and "insatiable".

When the cruelty and injustice on the part of the masters overwhelmed the people's patience, the peasants raised uprisings and ruined the feudal lords' farms. Peasant uprisings forced the feudal lords to reduce the amount of taxes and duties levied.