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The villains were considered freemen among the serfs, but a subject under the king Both villains and serfs exchanged manual labor on the manors grounds for produce and rent. These conditions continued into the 15th century when tenure and free labor gained prominence.

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Q: Why were some peasants freemen and the others villeins?
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What does villeins or peasants mean?

Villeins were medieval peasants who worked the land for landlords,some had their own strips of land.


What are the different levels of peasants?

The term peasant encompassed a number of different types, including freemen, villeins, cottars, bordars, serfs, and slaves. The link below goes to an article on serfdom, and to the section of the article describing the various types of peasants. Unfortunately, the term serf is used in the article to mean peasant, in some places, and a peasant who is bound to the land, in others.


Wealthy peasants in the Soviet Union were called what?

A peasant is a farmer. Most peasants were poor, and most worked land owned by someone else, but not all. Poor peasants who worked the land of lords are most commonly referred to as serfs. Serfs did not pay rent, and were required to provide labor for the lord. They also were not free to move away from the manor on which they worked, though they were not slaves. They had some important rights that provided for their security, and they could not legally be forced to leave the manor unless they broke a law or failed to do their duties. Serfs were also called villeins. Certain serfs who had fewer rights were called cottagers or bordars, though the exact legal situation of bordars may not be entirely understood. Some medieval societies allowed slavery, but not all. Freemen worked land they rented, and they had contracts like leases. Yeomen were peasants who owned their own land. They did not owe duties to a lord, but had to be prepared for military service as archers (at least in England).


What were a medieval peasants freedoms?

Some peasants were freemen, either as tenant farmers or as yeomen, who had their own holdings. They were pretty much free, though with some restrictions we might find a bit uncomfortable today; for example, they could not speak out against the monarch. Serfs were assigned work, which they had to do, but they also could do as they liked during the unassigned times, which were bout three or four days per week. This was not time off, but time during which they farmed the plots they had for themselves. They were not free to move away from the manor they lived on.


What do the serfs do?

Serfs, also known as villeins, were peasants who lived in small farming villages in the middle ages. There were a bondsman in that they owed labor to the lord of the manor, in some places up to two days per week, and could not move their residence away from their home manor without permission of their lord, although this was sometimes arranged in exchange for an annual fee. Most villeins supported themselves by farming their own lands while not working the lord's land. A few practiced crafts. Common village crafts included blacksmith, carpenter, and miller, although there may have not been enough work to fully support them, and they may have still farmed as well. Not all villeins had the same level of wealth. Some held only a house, farmyard (called a toft) and a large garden of half an acre to an acre (called a croft). This would have been inadequate to support a family and the individual would have had to do day labor or otherwise hire out to make ends meet. Villeins who held 10-12 acres would have been able to live at a subsistence level, and a minority who held 20 acres or more would have generated significant surplus and had relative economic comfort compared to their neighbors. A few peasants held 30, 40 or even more acres of land. The wealthiest peasants would have had hired hands for agricultural work, may have hired someone to fulfill part or all of their labor obligation to the lord, and in a few cases even employed a servant or two. A small minority of village peasants were not serfs, but were free men. They still paid a rent based on the amount of land they held in the village field, and various taxes and fees, but did not owe labor, or only owned a token amount of labor, and were free to remove themselves from the village if they chose. Serfs or villeins should not be confused with slaves. There were not considered chattel. They could not sold to another lord, nor could they be forced from their land. They were free to own their own possession, organize their time outside of their labor obligations as they saw fit, and a few succeeded in accumulating modest wealth.

Related questions

Who is lower in importance freeman or villeins?

Villeins have lower importance than freemen, since freemen used to be villeins, but now they have partially gained some freedom from the lord of manor. xxx


What does villeins or peasants mean?

Villeins were medieval peasants who worked the land for landlords,some had their own strips of land.


What jobs did villeins have?

Villeins were medieval peasants who worked the land for landlords,some had their own strips of land.


What are the different levels of peasants?

The term peasant encompassed a number of different types, including freemen, villeins, cottars, bordars, serfs, and slaves. The link below goes to an article on serfdom, and to the section of the article describing the various types of peasants. Unfortunately, the term serf is used in the article to mean peasant, in some places, and a peasant who is bound to the land, in others.


What group made up the top of medieval society?

The larges feudal group was always peasants of one type or another. In much of the Middle Ages, these people were mostly serfs, but in some places and times, they were mostly freemen.


What are some of the obligations and rents that people living on a manor owed?

The lord would rent out his land to the peasants in exchange for economic labor. Peasants were tied to the land and were not allowed to move away from the land or change their profession unless they became freemen. To become a freeman a peasant would have to buy a plot of land or pay dues to the lord. In addition to the labor that they provided the lords, peasants in the middle ages also contributed some of their agricultural produce to their masters as a form of payment. To read more visit the Related Link.


Did peasants steal?

While some probably did, others would not have done, just because you were a peasant, you would not also necessarily be a criminal.


Was it peasants or serfs that were bound to the land in the middle ages?

Peasants is a general term to refer to the rural farming class. Some of these were free and some were serfs, more often known during the period as villeins. Villeins owed labor to the lord of the manor they lived on, typically up to two days per week. They could not move away from the manor without the permission of the lord, although this was sometimes arranged, often in return for an annual fee. Villeins would sometimes run way to cities, and it was tradition that if a villein lived for a year and a day in city he was thereafter a free person. Villeins should not be confused with slaves, however. A villein could own their own house, often (but not always) had rights to work certain lands in the village fields, and had was entitled to their own movable property and money. A villein could not be sold to another lord or separated from their land, which assured them a living. A villein could bring a mater before the manner court, and was in a legal sense a person and not chattel. In addition to labor a serf would also owe rents and fees to the lord based on their land holdings, and a tithe to the church. Some peasants were free holders instead of being serfs. They still owed the lord a rent based on the amount of land they held in the village fields, but either owned no labor or just a token amount. They were free to leave the manor if they wished, and a few were able to accumulate significant amounts of land, enough to need hired farmhands and in some cases even employ servants.


Why did peasants join the crusade?

Peasants joined the crusades for many reasons, some because they wanted to go to the holy land for pilgrimage others because they wanted to participate in the sacrament of reconciliation and were unable to give gifts of money to the church. To get out of debt.


Did peasants wear hats in the middle ages?

Yes, some peasants wore hats.


Wealthy peasants in the Soviet Union were called what?

A peasant is a farmer. Most peasants were poor, and most worked land owned by someone else, but not all. Poor peasants who worked the land of lords are most commonly referred to as serfs. Serfs did not pay rent, and were required to provide labor for the lord. They also were not free to move away from the manor on which they worked, though they were not slaves. They had some important rights that provided for their security, and they could not legally be forced to leave the manor unless they broke a law or failed to do their duties. Serfs were also called villeins. Certain serfs who had fewer rights were called cottagers or bordars, though the exact legal situation of bordars may not be entirely understood. Some medieval societies allowed slavery, but not all. Freemen worked land they rented, and they had contracts like leases. Yeomen were peasants who owned their own land. They did not owe duties to a lord, but had to be prepared for military service as archers (at least in England).


What were a medieval peasants freedoms?

Some peasants were freemen, either as tenant farmers or as yeomen, who had their own holdings. They were pretty much free, though with some restrictions we might find a bit uncomfortable today; for example, they could not speak out against the monarch. Serfs were assigned work, which they had to do, but they also could do as they liked during the unassigned times, which were bout three or four days per week. This was not time off, but time during which they farmed the plots they had for themselves. They were not free to move away from the manor they lived on.