What was life like for freeman in the middle ages)?

Answer 1

A freeman was a tenant farmer who paid rent and had no duties to perform for the lord of the land. He worked hard, and had a life not all that different from a serf's.

A freeman would have the advantage over a serf of being able to determine what work he was going to do on any given day. By contrast, the serf spent three or four days each week working for the lord or on common land.

A freeman had the right to move off the land if he decided to do so, once his lease was up; the downside being the lord could arbitrarily tell him to leave when the lease was up. By contrast, the serf was bound to the land, and neither he nor the lord could unilaterally move him away.

The freeman was technically required to protect himself in times of trouble. The serf was theoretically protected.

A freeman could aspire to earn enough money to buy his own property. This would make him a yeoman, who did not have to pay rent, but could be called up in wartime to be an archer.

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