FEUDAL ECONOMY

2.1 Organisation of the manor

Medieval Europe was an agrarian world where wealth was based on land ownership. Fiefdoms or manors, large territories belonging to the king or granted by him to the nobility and the clergy in exchange for their services, were the centre of economic activity. Manors consisted of two parts: the demesne and the dependent holdings.

• The demesne was the territory exploited directly for the lord. It included his residence (castle or manor house), the best farmland, cultivated by serfs or free peasants, meadows with pasture for livestock, forests for hunting and gathering firewood and rivers for fishing and water supply.

• Dependent holdings were small plots of land granted or leased by the lord to the peasants. In return, they had to give him part of their harvest and work the land of the demesne a certain number of days per year: ploughing in spring, cutting the grass or harvesting in autumn. They also had to provide the lord with certain services: domestic work, construction, repairs, etc.

Skills progress

Working with concepts

1 Define the terms: manor, demesne and dependent holding.

2 What do we mean when we say that the manor was selfsufficient?

Assessing historical developments

3 Explain the reasoning behind these statements: a) Agrarian production was low. b) There was little trade. c) Peasants had to pay taxes to the lord.

2.2 Work on the manor

Manors were self-sufficient, which meant that all the agricultural tasks were carried out on them and all the necessary articles for everyday life were crafted there.

• Rudimentary tools were used to work the land, such as the hoe, sickle, scythe and the Roman plough pulled by oxen, which was not very heavy and hardly penetrated the ground. In order to maintain soil fertility, biennial crop rotation was practised: every year, half of the land was left fallow. As a consequence, crop yields were very low.

• Items necessary for daily life were crafted in the manor workshops: the forge, carpenter, cooperage, etc.

Certain facilities, such as the mill, winepress, oven and bridge, were owned by the landlord, who collected taxes from the peasants for their use.

As a result, there was little trade, which tended to be handled by a few itinerant merchants who travelled between the manors.

Handling images

Provocative questions

4 With the help of the picture and the text, answer these questions: a) Which parts of the manor can be seen? b) What buildings and lands are included in each of these parts? c) Which agricultural tasks are carried out? What tools are used to do them? d) Which foods are obtained? e) Which items are produced on the manor? Where are they made?