Villein

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A villein, otherwise known as cottar, torpare, crofter, is a serf tied to the land in the feudal system. Villeins had more rights and status than those in slavery, but were under a number of legal restrictions which differentiated them from the freeman.

Villeinage was important and commonplace in the European Middle Ages, though it was later superceded in most of Western Europe.

Villeins generally rented small homes, with or without land. As part of the contract with their landlord, they were expected to use some of their time to farm the lord's demesne or provide other services, possibly in addition to a rent of money or goods. These services could be very onerous. Villeins might also be required to pay a fine on the marriage of their daughters outside of the manor, the inheritance of a holding by a son, or other circumstances. Villeins were tied to the land and could not move away without their lord's consent.

However, except to their own lords, they were free men in the eyes of the law. Villeins were generally able to have their own property, unlike slaves.

The word villein derived from the Latin villanus, pertaining to the landed estate or villa. Villeinage, as opposed to other forms of serfdom, was most common in Western European feudalism, where land ownership had developed from roots in Roman law.

A variety of kinds of villeinage existed in the European middle ages, and it is impossible to arrive at a precise definition which satisfies them all. Different times and countries dealt with villeinage in slightly different ways. Some villeins had clearly defined and limited responsibilities to their lords, while others were essentially at their whim.

The array of restrictions and taxes seems harsh and arbitrary to modern minds. However, it makes sense if one views the medieval manor as an economic unit. For instance, the marriage of a duaghter away meant the loss of an able-bodied worker to the village.

Villeinage was not always an involuntary arrangement. In the early Middle Ages families entered villeinage voluntarily, to guarantee tenure of land. And while villeins were heavily restricted in what they could do, it was also possible for them to gain manumission. Many villeins were in villeinage because of the land they held, rather than by birth, and could beome free men if their lord agreed with them to move them to a different holding.

Villeinage was not a purely exploitative relationship. In the Middle Ages, land guaranteed sustencance and survival; being a villein guaranteed access to land. Landlords, even where legally able to, rarely evicted villeins because of the value of their labour. Villeinage was much preferable to beign a vagabond, a slave, or an unlanded labourer.

Villeinage became progressively less common through the Middle Ages, particularly after the Black Death reduced the rural population and increased the bargaining power of workers. It had largely died out in England by 1500, often transferred to a copyhold tenancy, while it continued in France until 1789.

In Scandinavia, being crofter (torpare) has been the quite similar position, being torp holders.

Villein

See also