Provided the economic basis for Middle Age society
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Manor – piece of land under a lord’s control
 Given land due to service during war time by
King/overlord
 If big enough – divided land into manors run by
vassals
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Life of a lord – fighting to protect land
 Never home, so vassal ran the lord’s manor
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Self-supporting
 Supplied economic needs
▪ Cattle – meat & milk
▪ Sheep – wool
▪ Crops – grains and veggies
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Layout –
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Castle
Chapel w/ rectory
Mill
Pasture land
Forest
Fields
Vassal housing
Peasant huts
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Largest work load
Serf life
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considered property
could not leave manor w/out permission
Pay – hut and small piece of land to farm
Always poor
Difficult life
paid taxes
Peasant life
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freeman lived in village
Worked extremely hard
Difference between peasant and serf- peasant could move
Jobs: smiths, carpenters, millers, baker, weavers, cobblers
Paid heavy taxes
Provide military service and fieldwork
Often left freedom to live on the manor because life was too hard
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Reasons:
 Industry – demanded larger volumes of products
▪ Conversion to single crop farming
 Commercial towns
▪ Based on commerce – goods produced for sale instead
of immediate use
 Return of money
▪ Replaced bartering
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Emancipation of serfs
 No more free labor