Role Of Peasants In Medieval Europe

In Medieval Europe, feudal classes were clearly outlined, dictating almost all aspects of society based on one’s class. While they didn’t live the flamboyant lives of lords and ladies, peasants are interesting in their own right. They were the working class of medieval society and made up the largest portion of the population. Peasants were mostly farmers, but some were millers, blacksmiths, or taverners. They made all the food and paid most of the taxes. Peasants lived rough, busy lives, dictated by work. When peasants came home from the fields, they didn’t have much to relax in after a hard day. Peasants lived in small villages or neighboring farms on their lord’s manor property. Their houses were squalid cottages with only two room
No matter what class a family was in, in the Middle Ages, childbirth was incredibly dangerous for both the mother and child, and it was frequent for both to die. If the child did survive, there wasn’t a whole lot done to ensure it. Since everyone had to work, infants were often left alone, or with siblings as young as 2 or 3. Accidents often happened, accounting for part of the high infant mortality rate. Once they were old enough to operate, young children had a few chores, like feeding chickens and washing dishes, but they were left to play until they were 7 years old. At this age, young boys were sent to school at the village church to learn prayers and songs, and maybe a little Latin and math. When they were older, boys would work on the farm with their fathers, or become an apprentice to learn how to support their family. Girls received no formal schooling, but learned from their mothers how to weave cloth, cook, grow vegetables, make butter, clean the house, and tend to children. Work dictated the structure of peasant families, like every other part of their lives. Fortunately, not every part of peasant life was dark and dreary. Peasants were particularly religious, even in very Catholic Medieval Europe, and observed all of the holidays of the Catholic Church. On holidays, and other celebrations, like for a birth and baptism, or marriage, peasants feasted and socialized with their neighbors, dancing, singing, and enjoying some of their limited non-working days and the happiness that came with it. Peasants had very little and lived their small, insignificant lives outside the pages of