During the Middle Ages, most poor peasants remained poor their entire lives. Why do you think this was so?
1 Answer
The social political and economic structures worked against the peasants.
Explanation:
At the beginning of the middle ages in 800 AD the threat of Muslim, Viking, and nomadic horse tribes from Asia caused the peasants to surrender their freedom for security.
The peasants provided armored knights and professional soldiers with food and supplies so the armored knights and the professional army could protect them from the threats to their safety. The cost was a loss of freedom. The peasants became virtual slaves to their protectors, who became their oppressors.
The peasants were regarded not as fully human, more as property of the ruling class. The labour of the peasant belonged to the owner of the land, which meant the peasant also belonged to the ruler. The noble or church where the peasant lived could demand and take as much of the crops that the peasant grew as would not cause the peasant to die. If the peasant accumulated any wealth that could also be taken by the noble.
The peasant was tied to the land. It was a crime for the peasant to leave the land where he lived as he, his labour, his family, and skills belonged to the noble. Some peasants like blacksmiths were able to gain a small amount of wealth. However since the noble had a monopoly on the peasants labour the peasant could not look for higher wages or a better deal from another noble. There was no market competition.
The Black Death which decimated the population of Europe, created a shortage of labour. The peasants were in demand and were able to demand better treatment and find upward economic mobility. During the middle ages there were few possibilities for a peasant to better himself or his family.
