Serfs & Freemen

Serfs are general peasants who work the land of a lord who owns land. They maintain the property & roads, work in the fields, act as miners & woodcutters, and all other menial jobs that are needed. They can also be called up to fight if old enough, and have access to weapons. When they are on the land they are entitled to the full protection of the law, need permission to marry, and sometimes travel and can hold a small percentage of land to grow foodstuffs for themselves and their family. Compared to slaves they are not allowed to be abused or sold off, and the latter can only happen if the land itself is sold on to a third party. They are some of the lowest of the Feudal System, but such a system could not function without them. Villeins are what serfs are usually called in Britain in Anglo-Saxon territories.
Freemen though, rented property and land from a lord and worked the land with a few having basic knowledge of a trade that the locals needed. When the contract for the rental was up, they could either leave to go wherever they wanted, or could stay on with another contract. This type of contract became known as a freehold. Many would stay in an area for some length of time as quite a few could leave if the land was sold off, and didn't need to ask permission to marry.

Type

Civic, Citizenship