by Suzette Baker

Created on: June 02, 2009

By far the largest class, making up about nine-tenths of the European population of the Middle Ages, peasants led a hard life with little or no benefits, yet also filled with times of celebration and good cheer. As important as they were to Europe's agricultural well-being during this era, the peasant class was not well favored among the nobility. Because the class of lords became an upper-class who felt they were superior to the peasant or serf class, the lords often showed little or no mercy to their peasants. Divided into three sub-classes, the peasant class was not only tied to the land but was also subservient to the upper or nobility class.

The role of the peasant was clarified by Jean Froissart, a medieval poet and historian of the 14th century, when he wrote, "It is the custom in England, as with other countries, for the nobility to have great power over the common people, who are serfs. This means that they are bound by law and custom to plough the field of their masters, harvest the corn, gather it into barns, thresh and winnow the grain; they must also mow and carry home the hay, cut and collect wood, and perform all manner of this kind". Although most peasants were farmers, those who were not, usually worked as blacksmiths, carpenters, tanners, weavers or bakers. Young craftsmen were either trained in the home by a parent in the profession or were apprenticed to a skilled craftsman in town.

Even the craftsmen who built their goods to sell, paid taxes to the lord of the manor for the right to use the land. Their lives mainly consisted of selling their goods and services to the people of the town. Not only did the craftsmen help with the training of the younger generations, they also helped with the repairs of the castle as well as the roads and bridges. The profits they made from the sell of their goods and services was used to buy food and other items from the farmers. This is turn, kept the economy flowing.

Those who were farmers, did not pay money to their landlord but instead worked the land to pay for the right to use it. Because peasants had to pay many taxes and rents, and money was scarce, they usually paid in eggs, wheat, oats, or poultry from their own lands. Not only was the average farmer given a plot of land to farm, he also enjoyed the security of living near the castle which provided protection against danger from marauders, invading armies, and barbarians from nearby lands. Although he had grazing and field rights

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