Peasant Farmer
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Peasant's Wife
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This quote written by Jean Froissart in 1395 shows how serfs were treated during the Middle Ages, and what was expected of them.
“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, and thresh and winnow the grain; they must also mow and carry home the hay, cut and collect wood, and perform all manner of tasks of this kind.”
Their HomesPeasants lived in small, flimsy homes made of mud, manure, and straw. These homes were called cruck houses. Unlike the nobility, their homes weren't properly furnished had very little furniture. There were some stools, and unstable beds covered with animal skin. There was also loom to spin from which they created clothing. Peasant homes were surrounded by a patch of land that was used to farm and raise the animals; which were very important to survival. Not only that, animals were let into the house during the winter, so that they wouldn't freeze outside. Talk about uncomfortable!
TaxesSerfs also had to pay taxes to their lords, which could be paid in money, grain, honey, eggs, etc. They had to give one tenth of their earnings a week to their lord.
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Their LivesSerfs lived extremely hard and harsh lives at the bottom of the social pyramid. Everything they owned belonged to the lord; they lived like slaves. Many struggled to produce enough food for their families. Most serfs could not read or write, but were only educated in Christianity (it was the main religion).
HygieneSerfs were not very clean; in that time personal hygiene didn't matter. Therefore the peasant life span became very short. “Poor sanitation, poor medical help and lack of medication, and poor diet were contributing factors to a short life span. Cholera, smallpox and typhoid fever were common ailments and killed many. Many babies died at birth or never lived past infancy.”
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