where tied and bound to the land as part of the manor system during the middle age in western Europe
During the Middle Ages in Western Europe, peasants were tied and bound to the land as part of the manor system. This system, also known as feudalism, was a hierarchical social, economic, and political structure that dominated medieval society.
Under this system, the lord of the manor owned large estates and granted land to peasants, known as serfs or villeins, in exchange for labor and services. The serfs were legally obligated to work the land, cultivating crops, tending to the lord's animals, and performing various other duties such as maintaining roads, repairing buildings, and providing military service when required.
The serfs were not free to leave their land or seek employment elsewhere without the lord's permission. They were bound to the land and were considered the property of the lord, often passed down as part of the estate. They were also subject to a variety of restrictions and obligations, including paying taxes, providing a portion of their crops or produce as rent, and being subject to the lord's jurisdiction for legal matters.
This system was deeply rooted in the feudal hierarchy, with the lord exercising authority and providing protection in exchange for the serfs' labor and loyalty. The serfs lived in small agricultural communities known as manors, where they were provided with a plot of land for their own subsistence farming but were primarily focused on meeting the demands of the lord.
The manor system and the ties of the serfs to the land began to decline in the later Middle Ages as trade and commerce increased, leading to economic changes and the rise of townships and cities. However, the remnants of the manorial system persisted in some parts of Western Europe until the early modern period.