Characteristics Of The Medieval Manor
Along with feudalism, a social and political system, goes an economic system called manorialism, which centered around manors. There were many key characteristics that defined the Medieval manor. A manor was a large estate owned by a feudal lord, and the most common form of a fief (Ahlin 1, Nardo 19). Manors included a castle or manor house, at least one village, and the surrounding farmland (Frey 22). Manorialism was the name of the system that included the services that the peasants on a manor owed to the lord and their contracts with the lord (Nardo 25). A manor could be anywhere from 16 hectares to hundreds of hectares, though they were usually 350 to 800 hectares (Jovinelly and Netelkos 8). One of the most important characteristics of
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Out of the peasants, most were farmers but some were craftsmen like bakers, millers, brewers, smiths, tanners, and potters (Jovinelly and Netelkos …show more content…
Grain was ground into flour for baking by the miller, who did so by using a mill (Jovinelly and Netelkos 24). Most of the time, the owner of the mill was the lord of the manor, and he required that all the serfs use it (Jovinelly and Netelkos 24, Frey 24). The fee that needed to be paid to the millers in exchange for their services was called multure (Gies and Gies 245). Bakers then made the flour into bread, a staple food for all classes (Ziegler). Every manor also had a brewer, who made alcoholic drinks like ale, wine, and beer (Munday). Ale was vital to the survival of the manor because the water was often contaminated and unsafe for drinking (Jovinelly and Netelkos 29). Most peasants and their children, therefore, only drank ale (Jovinelly and Netelkos 29). Brewers also made wine for the lord and his family (Munday). These are just a few of the many craftsmen on the Medieval manor, and they, in addition to all the other people on the manor, helped it remain self-sustaining. This self-sufficiency was one of the defining characteristics of the manor, and all of the parts of and people on the manor contributed to making it
Out of the peasants, most were farmers but some were craftsmen like bakers, millers, brewers, smiths, tanners, and potters (Jovinelly and Netelkos …show more content…
Grain was ground into flour for baking by the miller, who did so by using a mill (Jovinelly and Netelkos 24). Most of the time, the owner of the mill was the lord of the manor, and he required that all the serfs use it (Jovinelly and Netelkos 24, Frey 24). The fee that needed to be paid to the millers in exchange for their services was called multure (Gies and Gies 245). Bakers then made the flour into bread, a staple food for all classes (Ziegler). Every manor also had a brewer, who made alcoholic drinks like ale, wine, and beer (Munday). Ale was vital to the survival of the manor because the water was often contaminated and unsafe for drinking (Jovinelly and Netelkos 29). Most peasants and their children, therefore, only drank ale (Jovinelly and Netelkos 29). Brewers also made wine for the lord and his family (Munday). These are just a few of the many craftsmen on the Medieval manor, and they, in addition to all the other people on the manor, helped it remain self-sustaining. This self-sufficiency was one of the defining characteristics of the manor, and all of the parts of and people on the manor contributed to making it