Peasant agricultural laborers within the manorial system are known as what?

• A. Serfs
• B. Vassals
• C. Knights
• D. Lords

Answer: (A)

In the feudal manorial system, peasant laborers who were tied to the land are serfs. They worked the lord’s lands (the demesne) and their own plots, owed labor and rents to the manor, and could not freely leave or change their status. Serfdom was often hereditary, making them a relatively stable but constrained labor force that sustained agricultural production on the estate. This distinguishes them from vassals, who bound themselves to a lord for military or political service, knights who are noble warriors, and lords who own the manor. The key idea is that serfs are unfree peasants tied to the land and to the manor.