What were the duties of serfs

Lords owned the serfs who lived on their lands. In exchange for a place to live, serfs worked the land to grow crops for themselves and their lord. In addition, serfs were expected to work the farms for the lord and pay rent.

Serfs are just one class of commoner, or peasant, in the Middle Ages. The English classes detailed below are more or less like most commoners in other kingdoms. Each had different rights and obligations.

A serf is, legally, a slave and a possession of his lord who has no rights beyond his lord’s generosity. A serf had to work his life away doing the hard labor of providing for his lord. He plowed, reaped, threshed, chopped wood, herded animals, fixed implements, built structures, and anything else demanded. A serf had no rights or other obligations, and could not even go to court to get some respite if his lord was cruel and evil.