Lesson 9 Western European Manor

The lord and tenants of the manor

From the 9th century, a new form of agricultural economic organization gradually became popular, which is the manor. By about the 11th century, manors were spread all over Europe. Since then, the majority of Europe's population has lived on manors.

Under the rule of the lord, the manor was an independent, self-sufficient economic and political unit. The manors were inhabited by the lord's tenants, both free peasants and serfs who lacked freedom.

The land of the manor was divided into two parts: one part was kept by the lord himself and operated directly, called the "direct domain", which usually accounted for 1/3 to 1/2 of the total arable land of the manor, and all the income went to the lord; the remaining arable land was the "share" of the tenants, which was the livelihood of the tenants. The remaining arable land was the tenant's "share" and was the source of livelihood for the tenant. The rest of the land was the tenant's "share", which was the source of livelihood for the tenant. The tenant was obliged to cultivate the lord's "direct land" and generally worked on the direct land three days a week, and the rest of the time was for himself. The lord also levied other taxes on the tenants.

The area around the estate was mostly woodland and wasteland, called "common land", which all the tenants could graze and use together according to the rules.

The free peasants were independent small producers who owned their own means of production and property and had tenure rights, and the lord could not confiscate their land at will. The land rights of the free peasants were protected by the courts.

Hacienda courts

The manor had judicial power, and there was a court of manor, presided over by the lord or his steward. Tenants were prosecuted and punished for neglecting their work, failing to complete their work, or failing to pay the full amount of rent required of them, which violated the lord's interests.

The manor courts were not staffed and did not meet at any time like modern courts, but were generally held at regular intervals to resolve a number of issues. The court was held in different places, sometimes in the hall of the lord's house, sometimes in the church, and sometimes under the trees on the estate.

The court also played a role in maintaining public order on the estate. Disputes between tenants over land, loans, marriages, and violations of the public rules of the estate were heard in the court.

The basic punishment for various violations was usually a fine, which went to the lord. Attendance at court was obligatory for tenants, and unexcused absences without the lord's permission were punishable by fines.

Court trials were based on customary or village law. The lord could use the court to enslave the tenant, and the tenant could use the court to defend his rights and even participate in the trial of the case. The manor court both defended the lord's interests and limited his privileges to a certain extent.

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