What Role Did The Nobility Play In The Manorial System

Once upon a time there was a land where young maidens were rescued by handsome princes from deadly fire breathing dragons. The European Medieval Period was a time much different than our idealized perception, especially involving the roles of the nobility during the times of the manorial system. The lords of the medieval period, also known as the middle ages, in the manorial system had a lot more responsibilities than one may believe. In this research, we will be exploring the manorial system and what role the nobility played in the manorial system. Now, for a full understanding of the system of which the nobility were living, this research is a basic overview of the manorial system.

Manorialism or for the case of this essay, the manorial

system was a political, economic, and social system where peasants relied on their lords and land (Manorialism, Britannica School). The period developed during the 5th century. In this system, peasants would pay rent for land and work it while under the control of the lord. “This arrangement developed into the manorial system, which in turn supported the feudal aristocracy of kings, lords, and vassals (Manorialism, Britannica School).” The system only worked as long as there was agreement between the nobles and their serfs. This was a revolutionary time because it exchanged the idea of slaves doing the grunt work of running land, and substituted it with serfs (David Muzzey, Medieval Morals). Before this time, slave labor had been used which encouraged human rights. Most historians agree that the end of the manorial system took place sometime between the Great Plague and the end of the 15th century (North and Thomas).
When most people talk about the manorial system, they refer to what responsibilities the serfs had as the servants of the lord. Contrary to popular belief, lords did not have absolute power over their serfs (North and Thomas). Most people think of them as servants, but a more correct term fitting with the actual extent of the lord's power would be tennent. That being said, they did have the power as pseudo-administrator of the manor. The special position of the nobility in the state and society gave them the power to enforce serfdom (Topolski). This special position enforced the law of the manor, the court system, and money management, as well as managing income, leasing, and product input and output.
As a lord in the manorial system, one would be the leader of a small military to control your land. The military power of the lord provided him with the force to insure the collection of the resources necessary for war (North and Thomas). One of the lord’s early responsibilities was in the role of tax collection official, but instead of money, these resources might include soldiers. This compared closely to the taxation of Roman citizens in the Roman Empire. As well as a military collection enforcer, the lord was a law enforcer. “It also made him the logical person to settle disputes and in the last resort, to enforce local laws and customs (North and Thomas).” Granted, this position was only necessary in certain situations, it added a hefty load of work onto the increasingly full plate of the lord.
In addition to enforcement, the lord was in charge of the court system. Disputes would be settled by suing in the manor’s court, often under the control of the lord (North and Thomas). That is one of the greatest examples of injustice in the manorial system. If the lord was in control of the court, the suing tenant would most likely lose. As for law structure, common law had jurisdiction over the tenants of the manor before the time of the King’s Court (North and Thomas). Common law was a basic consensus of which the people of a manor lived by. They differed from manor to manor but were the same basic principals of keeping peace and organization. But even after the inclusion of the King’s Court, the tenants, commonly referred to as villeins, still had to listen to their lord and his rules. “... the villein had no recourse to the King’s Court and was subject to the Lord’s will in the manor court. (North and Thomas).” As unfair as that court system was, it was another huge responsibility of the lord of the manor.
The lord of the manor was also an accountant of the estate.

He had to figure out what all of his estate entailed. “And to the love feast of St. Peter 10 rams and 400 loaves and 40 platters and 34 hens and 260 eggs. And there are 8 socmen who have 6 plows. In the demesne of the court are 4 plows of 32 oxen, and 9 cows and 5 calves, and 1 riding horse and 129 sheep and 61 swine and 1 draught-horse and 1 colt (Primary Sources: English Manorial Documents, Sam Houston State University).” They not only had account for the animals in the manor, but also the food that was being served at big gatherings at the manor house. In addition to material possessions, they also had to manage the payment of the serfs. The lord would have to negotiate the payment of their serfs which were either fixed wage payments, fixed rent or an arrangement to share either crop inputs or crop outputs (North and Thomas). Having so many forms of payment must have been a whole new level of confusion for the lord but somehow, they managed to make it work. These agreements were binding until the expiration of the lease. Adjustment to negotiations could not be made until the Serf’s land lease ran out (North and Thomas). If the tenant died before his lease was up, his family was to take over for the remainder of his lease. In some cases, there were arrangements of life long leases that ended when the tenant died. This prevented the family to have to finish out their lease when their loved one died. “Life leases turned out to be a last-ditch effort by lords to retain their customary rights by singing them away for only one generation of tenants (North and Thomas).” This was also a very strategic move for the lord, because he could secure more rights than with a smaller term leases. Now that we know that the lord pays his tenants, how does he maintain an income. “The lord’s income thus came from two sources: the payment for his provision of public goods and the payment (in rents) for the use of

his lands (North and Thomas).” The lords had to pay for their own debts somehow, so they used those two common sources of income. This adds the act of determining his paycheck to his long list of responsibilities in the Manorial System.
In this research, we have covered what the Manorial System actually was and the responsibilities of the lord including, the Lord's’ power in the manor, his military power, his role of law enforcer, the court system and his influence in it, his role as an administrator in the aspects of the accounting of money and product, and his economic role of negotiating leases and determining his personal income. This research confirms the fact that the lords of the Manorial System of the middle ages were busy with their vast number of responsibilities stretching many areas of expertise.