WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -serfdom, condition in medieval Europe in which a tenant farmer was bound to a hereditary plot of land and to the will of his landlord. The vast majority of serfs in medieval Europe obtained their subsistence by cultivating a plot of land that was owned by a lord.

Detailed explanation-2: -The most important function of serfs was to work on the demesne land of their lord for two or three days each week. In addition to those born into serfdom, many free labourers unwittingly became serfs because their own small plot of land was barely sufficient for their needs.

Detailed explanation-3: -A social hierarchy divided the peasantry: at the bottom of the structure were the serfs, who were legally tied to the land they worked. They were obliged both to grow their own food and to labour for the landowner. They were in effect owned by the landowner.

Detailed explanation-4: -Serfs had a specific place in feudal society, as did barons and knights: in return for protection, a serf would reside upon and work a parcel of land within the manor of his lord. Thus, the manorial system exhibited a degree of reciprocity.

Detailed explanation-5: -The land of these manors was tilled by unfree agricultural workers, or serfs.