The serf did not receive his land as a free gift; for the
use of it he owed certain duties to his master. These took chiefly the form of
personal services. He must labor on the lord's domain for two or three days
each week, and at specially busy seasons, such as ploughing and harvesting, he
must do extra work. At least half his time was usually demanded by the lord.
The serf had also to make certain payments, either in money or more often in
grain, honey, eggs, or other produce. When he ground the wheat or pressed the
grapes which grew on his land, he must use the lord's mill, the lord's
wine-press, and pay the customary charge. In theory the lord could tax his
serfs as heavily and make them work as hard as he pleased, but the fear of
losing his tenants doubtless in most cases prevented him from imposing too
great burdens on them.
ORIGIN OF SERFDOM
Serfdom developed during the later centuries of the Roman
Empire and in the early Middle Ages. It was well established by the time of
Charlemagne. Most serfs seem to have been the descendants, or at least the
successors, of Roman slaves, whose condition had gradually improved. The serf
class was also recruited from the ranks of freemen, who by conquest or because
of the desire to gain the protection of a lord, became subject to him. Serfdom,
however, was destined to be merely a transitory condition. By the close of
medieval times, the serfs in most parts of western Europe had secured their
freedom.
