Serfdom in Late Medieval England (HIH1597)

15 credits

Serfdom was an institution that denied much of the population of medieval England basic human rights. Legally, serfs (or villeins as they were called in England) could not own property, leave their village, or marry, without their lord’s permission. This module will use a variety of source material to discuss the legal foundations of serfdom, the everyday lives of serfs, and resistance to serfdom. In doing so it will explore daily life in medieval England and the impact of major events such as the Black Death and Peasants’ Revolt. No prior knowledge of the period is needed and all sources will be in English.