manorializmin

Manorialism, sometimes rendered as manorializm in some languages, is the economic and social structure that dominated rural life in much of medieval Europe. A manor was an estate centered on a lord’s residence, with lands worked by peasants under legal obligations. The lord held rights over the demesne, or estate lands worked by himself or by tenants, while peasants cultivated their own plots and paid rents in kind or cash, performed corvée labor, or provided other services.

Peasants could be unfree serfs or free peasants depending on region, and were bound to the land. Their obligations included working the lord’s demesne for a set number of days, paying rents, and delivering produce. In return, they received protection and the use of land to support themselves. The manor also contained mills, ovens, and, in many cases, a village church; a manorial court settled disputes and enforced customary obligations.

Economically, manorialism aimed at self-sufficiency: most food and basic goods were produced within the estate, with limited external exchange. Markets and cash transactions existed, but the manor economy remained predominantly agrarian and hierarchical.

Decline began toward the late Middle Ages, as population shifts, the growth of towns, increased monetization, and changes in agricultural techniques weakened the manorial basis. By the early modern period, manorial systems had largely been superseded in most areas, though some remnants persisted in rural life and landholding patterns. Historians debate the extent to which manorialism was a distinct system versus a descriptive label for rural, feudal-era economic relations.