What were the sources of income during the middle ages?

Answer 1

During the Middle Ages, the most important source of income was agriculture. Peasants farmed the land, and often they worked and lived on estates, called manors, of more wealthy people.

The people who were lords of the manors got their income primarily from the work done by the peasants. If they were knights, they had to maintain the ability to support their feudal lords or monarchs, and this was paid for by the farming. Knights were paid for service as soldiers, but the duties were temporary, as opposed to the more continuous income from the farms.

Of course there were mercenary soldiers, armorers, military engineers, and a number of others who made their livings by various connections to the military

There were a lot of people working at crafts and trades. These included carpenters, masons, potters, rope makers, chandlers, jewelers, herbalists, weavers, and so on.

There were people who were merchants, and who traveled about, buying and selling. The best known of these today was Marco Polo.

There were Sailors and fishermen. On land, there were teamsters and wagoners. There were a number of specialized crafts to support these, ranging from boat or ship builders to wheel writes.

A lot of people went into working for the Church. Many were priests, and many more were monks or nuns.

There were a surprisingly large number of teachers. Schools existed during the entire Middle Ages, and contrary to popular belief, while many were run by the Church, a number of them were run under state sponsorship or even privately. There was a class of schools, called Abacus Schools, that were private. It is known that even Vikings maintained schools in some places, including Yorkshire and Iceland.

Many people were artists. A lot of people were actors or helpers for theatrical groups. Many people were minstrels or troubadours.

A lot of medical people existed, and these fell into a number of groups, according to their skills.

Government employed a number of people, and these included Accountants, lawyers, and so on.

There were professional scribes.

I think I could go on for a while longer, but I guess you should get the picture.

Answer 2

During the Middle Ages, the primary sources of income were agriculture and feudalism. Most people were engaged in farming, which involved growing crops and raising livestock. Feudalism, on the other hand, was a social and economic system in which land was owned by lords and worked by peasants in exchange for protection and basic necessities. Other sources of income included trade, crafts, and taxation.