EUH1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16: Protestant Union, Brown Bread, With Approval
Document Summary
Peasant life in the midst of economic crisis. Small number of peasants in each village owned enough land to feed themselves and had the livestock and ploughs necessary to work their land. These independent farmers were the leaders of the peasant villages. Employed landless poor, rented out livestock and tools, and served as agents for the noble lord. Below them were small land owners and tenant farmers who did not have enough land to be self - sufficient. Sold their best produce on the market to earn cash for taxes, rent, and food. At the bottom were the rural workers who worked as independent laborers and servants. In eastern europe, majority of peasants toiled as serfs for noble landowners and did own land in their own right. Bread was the primary element of their diet. ( rich ate white loaf and left brown bread for peasants)
