ABSTRACT
The Romantic nineteenth-century depiction of the simple peasant, envied for a bucolic existence far from modern society, still clings to our perception. From a distance, the feudal model suggests that medieval peasants lived in a snug, secure world, protected by their lord in return for services. However, that image is no more characteristic than one of hopeless exploitation and powerlessness. While both extremes existed, the medieval peasant participated in a world of complex economic forces and social relations.
