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# Medieval Life: Peasants and Nobles This document describes the lives of peasants and nobles during the Middle Ages. ## Two Groups of Peasants - During the Middle Ages, most Europeans were peasants. - Two groups of peasants existed: freemen and serfs. - **Freemen** paid a noble for the right to...

# Medieval Life: Peasants and Nobles This document describes the lives of peasants and nobles during the Middle Ages. ## Two Groups of Peasants - During the Middle Ages, most Europeans were peasants. - Two groups of peasants existed: freemen and serfs. - **Freemen** paid a noble for the right to farm their own land. They had legal rights. - **Serfs**, on the other hand, were tied to the manor. They couldn't own property, move, or marry without the noble's permission. However, they weren't enslaved. ## The Lives of Peasants - Peasants, both freemen and serfs, lived in villages clustered around an open area (a village green). - Their homes were simple cottages; poorer peasants lived in single-room dwellings. - Peasants worked year-round. - In winter and spring, they planted crops such as beans, peas, barley, and oats. - In early summer, they weeded fields and sheared sheep. - In late summer, they harvested grain and slaughtered livestock, salting the meat for winter. - They also tended small vegetable gardens. - Serfs, in addition to working their own land, had to work part of their time on the noble's land and pay for using the village's tools such as mills, bread ovens, and winepresses. ## Castles: Structure and Function - Medieval castles had two main parts: a motte (a steep-sided hill) and a bailey (an open space next to the motte). - Both parts were surrounded by high walls. - The castle keep, the central building, was built on the motte. - The basement store tools and food. - Kitchens and stables were on the ground floor. - The great hall was on the upper floor, where the lord held court and met visitors. ## Knights - Knights trained for war through tournaments or special contests (like jousting). - Nobles often were away from their castles, and their wives or daughters managed the estate in their absence. ## Serfdom and Freedom - It wasn't easy for serfs to gain freedom. - One way was escaping to towns. - After a year in a town, a serf was considered free. - By the end of the Middle Ages, serfs in many areas were allowed to purchase their freedom.