Weebly Essay 3

The Life of Peasants in the Ninth Century

Peasants in the ninth century were greatly depended upon for their labor. Often they
lived in small dwellings on the property of a lord. The peasants were only one step above serfs,
then slaves. Peasants had to put aside a portion of everything they tended, collected, or made--from hens eggs to woven basketsfor the lords rents. (Making Europe The Story Of The
West Volume 1 264) Peasants did have it better than serfs and slaves. A serf was more like
property then workers or tenant farmers. They could not leave the manor, and when the
manor passed into possession of another lord, the serfs went with it. (Making Europe The
Story Of The West Volume 1) Even peasant children worked around the home and in the fields.
It was a hard life and they couldnt prosper they could only hope to survive.
In the case of peasants who were not a part of the manor, they too faced many
challenges. As wars and stealing abounded they needed protection. Many times due to war and
raids, their crops were burned or cattle stolen. Sometime even their homes were burned. The
need for protection for themselves and their family greatly helped increase the wealth of
neighboring lords. They would, there-fore, go to some great lord in the neighborhood
and hand over their land to him for protection. (Peasants Begin to Lose Their Freedom)
Wealthy lords became even richer off the misfortunes of the poor.
The role of women in peasantry was especially difficult. They were expected to carry
and bear their children and at the same time fulfill their obligation to labor in the fields.
(Spielvogel). Running the household and preparing the meals were also her duties.
Life was very hard for peasants, serfs and slaves. They toiled to produce the many things
that the rich enjoyed while having little left over for themselves. They were under the rule of
lord of the manor and had little rights as to their treatment. Education was basically nonexistent so they remained ignorant and poor. Even the church extracted tithes from these
people of food and labor and many clergy became wealthy. This class of poor people were

looked down upon by the elite and not recognized for their importance in society. It would take
many more years of this type of suffrage and peasant revolts before their treatment would
become better.

Works Cited
Bucur, Maria, Kidner, Frank L., Mathisen, Ralph, et al. Making Europe The Story Of The West Volume 1.
Boston: Wadsworth, Centage Learning, 2014. 256-257. print.
"Peasants Begin to Lose Their Freedom." n.d. History of England. web. 4 December 2014.
Spielvogel, Jackson J. and Duiker,William J. "Chapter 12 the Making of Europe." World History. Boston:
Wadsworth, 2012. 235.