Feudalism and Serfdom in Pre-Reform Russia

Feudalism Definition: The system of political organization prevailing in Europe from the 9th to about the 15th centuries having as its basis the relation of lord to vassal with all land held in fee and as chief characteristics homage, the service of tenants under arms and in court, wardship, and forfeiture

Feudalism Also called Manorialism: Political, economic, and social system by which the peasants of medieval Europe were tied to their land and their lord through serfdom. Free tenants paid rent or provided military service in exchange for the use of the land. Peasants farmed small plots of land and owed rent and labor to their lord, and most were not free to leave the estate.

Feudalism Basis in land and agriculture Authority of lords is conditional He may be a high authority or may be a vassal of another lord The scale of land owned is directly related to the authority of the lord Political sovereignty of the state is highly dismembered

Serfdom Much like indentured servitude Definition: A member of the lowest feudal class, attached to the land owned by a lord and required to perform labor in return for certain legal or customary rights Much like indentured servitude

Serfdom: Households Fairly even distribution of men and women Average life expectancy: 27.3 years Average Age at First Marriage: 19 Most serfs lived in multiple family houses Only 4% of serfs lived alone A majority of houses were occupied by three familial generations

Serfdom: Communities Even serfdom was highly unequal Better-off serfs could buy and sell resources unavailable to poorer serfs Poor serfs were cut off from land ownership and monetary assistance Communities were highly competitive

Serfdom: Income 94% of serfs were land workers, 6% were domestic workers Workers often ranked 1 (highest), 2 (middle), or 3 (lowest) 1’s earned on average twice as much as 3’s 1’s of authority earned almost 7 times as much as 1’s of no authority Lowest workers earned as little as 3 Kopeks per day

Serfdom: Religion Almost, if not totally, all serfs were Russian Orthodox The church upheld the concept of serfdom

Serfdom: Diet Consists primarily of coarsely ground cereal Allotted 76 pounds of rye flour per month Household serfs received more Serfs could raise livestock and grow fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts