ABSTRACT
Bavarian agricultural organization in the eighth and ninth centuries was characterized by the estate, the large estate or seigneury belonging either to an ecclesiastical institution or to a member of the aristocracy. Estate slaves provided specialized craft and other essential services as part of their servitium. Slaves also acted as agents for their masters in trade, even in long-distance trade which would entail prolonged absence from direct control and a very high level of responsibility. In Bavaria there are several interesting pieces of evidence for the existence and even the quality of slave marriages. The mid-eighth century Vitaor ‘Life’ of St Emmeram, written by Bishop Arbeo, the learned bishop of Freising, contains a unique and very detailed account of a slave marriage ceremony, initiated and conducted personally by the master whose stated purpose was to secure the slave's acceptance of his bonds.
