3.4.1 The people on the manor Quality of life in the Middle Ages depended on a person’s position in the feudal system. Nobles, with their wealth and servants, lived more comfortably than peasants. Knights and barons had privileges, like owning several manors and living off taxes from peasants. The clergy led simple lives, giving up possessions to serve God. As the educated elite, they enjoyed learning in their monasteries. Although clergy often did farm work like peasants, many monasteries operated like manors and owned villages. Women Medieval women, regardless of class, had few rights. Noble women married as early as age 12, with marriages arranged by their families to gain political power or wealth. Society expected them to produce a male heir. Childbirth was dangerous and about one in five women died during childbirth. Noble women managed their husband’s household and had some control over servants but could not own property, except as widows.
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Look carefully at SOURCE2 . What specific tasks are the peasant women performing? 2. How does the image depict the daily life and working conditions of peasant women in the Middle Ages? 3. What can we learn about the social and economic roles of peasant women from this image?
SOURCE2 Much of the farm work was carried out by peasant women.
Peasant women had even fewer rights. Peasant families generally were reluctant to allow their female members to marry as young as the noble women. This was because children were an important source of labour. Peasant women did much the same farm labour as the men. On top of that, they had household duties such as preparing food and weaving clothes, and looking after the children and small livestock. Men For most peasant men, life was very hard. They endured a daily grind of farm work: clearing fields, harvesting, repairing buildings, sawing and chopping timber, and paying the tithe to the lord of the manor. Most men were uneducated and remained tied to the drudgery of peasant labour. Still, some boys managed to receive formal education in monasteries. This might provide them with the opportunity to become a parish priest or to work on the manor in a bookkeeping role such as a bailiff or a steward. Children Childhood as a time of play or schooling was almost non-existent. Children were regarded as sources of labour on the farm. At first they would help the women with household chores, but eventually were sent out to work on the fields. Peasant children were educated in how to harvest a field, fix a thatched roof or milk a cow.
60 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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