Let’s explore the decline of serfdom under Elizabeth I’s reign and its fascinating history in England. We’ll look at the economic, social, and legal transformations that dismantled the feudal system, from the impact of the Black Death to the Peasants’ Revolt and beyond. Discover how the transition from a feudal economy to a market-based one reshaped English society and laid the groundwork for modern labor relations.
Today we are talking about the fall of serfdom in England, which was a very, very long process. It didn’t happen overnight but the official nail in the coffin, as it were, came during the reign of Elizabeth I who formally ended serfdom in England.
So that’s something random. A lot of people don’t realize that even during the reign of Henry VIII and Edward and Mary, that serfdom was still officially legal in England. So Elizabeth finally ended it. And we are going to talk about the whole process of serfdom. We’re going to start like 200-300 years before and work our way up.
So let’s get started with a quote by Wat Tyler who led the Peasant’s Rebellion of 1381. He said,
“There should be equality among all people save only the king. There should be no serfdom and all men should be free and of one condition. We will be free forever, our heirs and our lands.”
His quote encapsulates the spirit of a time when the foundations of medieval society were being challenged. Of course, this is a generation after the Black Death. A lot of the societal norms, the expectations, what had been for hundreds of years are now falling down.
In medieval England, serfdom was a defining feature of the feudal system. It dictated the lives of countless individuals who were bound to the land and subject to the will of their lords. Serfs toiled in the fields, bound by duty and tradition. Their lives are defined by their servitude.
Today we’re going to talk about the decline of the system, tracing its gradual erosion through economic, social, and legal changes, culminating, as I said, in Elizabeth I’s formal abolition of serfdom. This journey will take us through key events like the Black Death, the Peasants’ Revolt, and significant legal reforms, and we will highlight the transformation of English society and the rise of a free peasantry.
Serfdom
So let’s first understand what serfdom was. At its core, serfdom was a condition of bondage. Serfs were tied to the land on which they lived and worked, and they were subject to the will of the land owner. However, unlike slaves, serfs had some personal freedoms and rights, but their economic and social mobility was severely restricted. They could not leave the manor without the lord’s permission, and their labor was owed to the lord in exchange for protection and the right to work a portion of the land for their own subsistence.
The origins of serfdom in England go all the way back a thousand years before this to the collapse of the Roman Empire. As Roman authority waned, a new socio-economic structure emerged to fill the vacuum, leading to the establishment of the feudal system in the early medieval period. Land became the primary source of wealth and power, and those who controlled the land also controlled the people who worked it.
Daily life for a serf was arduous, it was monotonous. There was no change. Agricultural labor dominated their existence. They would plow fields, they would sow seeds, and tend to the livestock. They would harvest crops.
Beyond their work in the field, serfs also had to perform various other duties for the lord. They would repair roads. They would repair the buildings, do carpentry work, and even provide domestic service. They would live in simple often poorly constructed homes, with limited access to education or upward mobility.
But serfs were not completely powerless. They had certain rights and could appeal to manorial courts for justice in disputes. Over time, economic and social changes would take place and would begin to challenge the foundations of serfdom, setting the stage for its eventual decline and the rise of a more modern and free society.
The early signs of change came in the 12th and 13th centuries. These are periods of significant economic and demographic shifts in England that set the stage for the decline of serfdom. The population growth increased massively and this actually increased the productivity of the farms.
It transformed the rural landscape. I actually just got done reading a book on the Black Death, and it talked about this period that England especially went through, all of Europe, but especially England, went through at the beginning of the 14th century, end of the 13th, beginning of the 14th century, where the farms were so massively productive and the population was booming. And they were talking about how the Black Death might have been sort of in response to that.
So that’s what we’ve got going on at this time. There are new farming techniques. There’s a three-field system where you do crop rotation, more efficient use of land, and surplus production for the first time in anyone’s memory. There was surplus production which contributed to the growth of towns and of trade, gradually weakening the rigid structures of the feudal system.
Black Death
However, of course, the most profound catalyst for change came in the mid-14th century with the arrival of the Black Death. This devastating pandemic swept through Europe between 1348 and 1350, killing an estimated one-third to one-half of England’s population. I also read in that book that the population of England didn’t actually go back to its pre-1348 numbers until it was like the 19th century, which is just, just massive.
This massive population decline led to severe labor shortages, fundamentally altering the balance of power between landowners and laborers. There are fewer workers available. Surviving serfs and peasants now find themselves in higher demand, and this allows them to demand better working conditions and higher wages.
This shift in the labor market was met, of course, with resistance from the ruling class. So the government actually enacted the Statute of Labourers in 1351, trying to cap the wages and restrict the movement of laborers. If you’ve read The Pillars of the Earth books, I guess it’s the World Without End, the second book, I suppose, the whole Black Death and the rules and being able to go from place to place and leave your farm and go to another place. And then the restrictions on that play a huge part in that story.
So that’s a way to dig in and experience what it would have been like for regular people who were just trying to live their lives and get by during this time. But so the Statute of Labourers tried to cap the wages. Instead of a minimum wage, there was a maximum wage. And of course, this just made everybody really upset. So there was a ton of discontent among the lower classes.
Peasants’ Revolt
This set the stage for 30 years later, the massive Peasants’ Revolt. So it’s just simmering under there for decades. The Peasants Revolt was actually then triggered by a combination of high taxes, oppressive laws, and social inequality. The immediate cause was the imposition of the third poll tax in just four years, which was deeply unpopular and seen as very unjust.
So there are figures like Wat Tyler and John Ball. Thousands of peasants marched to London demanding the abolition of serfdom, fair taxes, and an end to the corruption among officials. They actually entered the city and presented their demands to King Richard II.
The revolt was ultimately suppressed and its leaders were executed, but the Peasants’ Revolt had significant long-term consequences. It marked the really official beginning of the end for serfdom in England, and the ruling class increasingly recognized the need to address the grievances of the lower classes.
Over the following decades, the pressures of a changing economy and continued social unrest would lead to further erosion of the feudal system, paving the way for the eventual formal abolition under Elizabeth. So let’s talk about some of these legal and economic shifts. England is transitioning from a feudal economy to a market-based one, and we start to see this.
Legal and Economic Shifts
One of the things I love about this period is this transition and the rise of the merchant class, of the middle class in the 16th century. So all of these traditional structures of serfdom are just kind of falling away naturally. There are several key developments, including the rise of tenant farming and the increasing prevalence of wage labor. What does that mean?
Tenant farming allowed individuals to lease land from landowners in exchange for rent, rather than being bound to the land to serve. So you could just go up and rent some land from somebody. This enabled greater mobility and economic independence for many peasants. They could now negotiate the terms of their labor. They could move to areas offering better opportunities.
The Statute of Labourers, as I said, was a direct response to the labor shortages from the Black Death and it was trying to fix the wages at pre-plague levels and restrict the movement of laborers who sought higher wages elsewhere. Employers were forbidden from paying more than the set wages. Workers were required to accept employment at these rates, and violations were punishable by fines or imprisonment.
However, this was super hard to enforce and often led to widespread resentment or evasion. As the economic landscape evolved, so too did the legal framework for governing labor and land. The manorial courts, which had traditionally overseen the administration of justice within the feudal system, began to decline in importance. These courts were responsible for handling disputes between lords and their tenants, as well as enforcing customary laws and obligations.
However, as the power of the central government grew and more and more equitable legal reforms were introduced, the jurisdiction of manorial courts diminished. Some of the legal reforms during this period were the gradual abolition of villainage, which was a form of serfdom, and the enfranchisement of serfs.
These reforms were often driven by economic necessity and the growing recognition of individual rights. For instance, landowners increasingly found it more profitable to lease their lands to tenant farmers who could pay them rent rather than just relying on the labor of bound serfs.
Additionally, the rise of common law courts provided a more standardized and accessible system of justice, which also then began to undermine the manorial court’s authority. Then there’s the role of monarchs and legislation. So the policies of Richard II and the subsequent monarchs in the 15th century played a crucial role in shaping the landscape of labor and serfdom in England.
After the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, Richard II attempted to maintain control through measures that both appeased and suppressed the population. His initial promise to abolish serfdom and grant freedom was quickly retracted once the revolt was over. However, the unrest made it clear that maintaining the status quo was not going to work.
Over the ensuing decades, monarchs and lawmakers introduced reforms that gradually undermined the institution of serfdom. One of the key reforms was the gradual abolition of villainage. It’s like I said, it’s a specific form of serfdom, where villeins were tied to the land and owed labor to their lords. Legal changes and economic pressures led to a decline in the enforcement of these obligations. And by the late 15th century, it was largely obsolete, replaced by more flexible forms of labor agreements and tenancy.
The enfranchisement of serfs allowed them to buy their freedom or be granted freedom by their lords. This further eroded the feudal system. These newly freed individuals could enter into wage labor contracts or lease land, contributing to the rise of a market-based economy. This shift had profound impacts on the social structure as it increased social mobility and contributed to the decline of rigid class boundaries.
Wars of the Roses
Then you’ve got the main event of the 15th century in England the Wars of the Roses. This series of civil wars that engulfed England for control of the English throne also influenced land ownership and labor relations. These conflicts resulted in significant upheaval among the nobility. Many estates were changing hands, and there was a lot of instability, which again weakened the feudal system, as the new landowners were often more interested in maximizing profits than maintaining traditional feudal obligations.
And then we start to get more tenant farming and more decline in serfdom. The Tudors then, particularly Henry VII and Henry VIII, implemented policies that favored the consolidation of power and the growth of a centralized state. They encouraged agricultural innovation, the enclosures movement, which converted common land into privately owned plots.
These enclosures disrupted traditional village life and displaced many peasants. That’s where we get rebellions like Kett’s Rebellion, which was about these land enclosures. It also spurred the development of a more efficient agricultural system and more free labor market.
Under Elizabeth I’s Reign
Then we finally get to Elizabeth’s reign, which again started in 1558. And this was a period obviously, of significant social, economic, and political transformations. Elizabeth was known for her pragmatism, for her keen political acumen, and she navigated all of the messy religious conflicts, all of the upheaval, all of it.
Her approach to governance was characterized by a desire to stabilize and modernize England, ensuring its prosperity and security. By the time Elizabeth ascended to the throne, the institution of serfdom had already been in decline for several centuries. The economic and demographic shifts following the Black Death, the rise of tenant farming and legal reforms had all but dismantled the traditional feudal system.
However, remnants of serfdom persisted in some parts of the country where a small number of individuals were still bound to their lords. In 1574, Elizabeth issued a proclamation that formally freed the last remaining serfs in England. This proclamation was significant for several reasons. First, it marked the official end of a system that had defined medieval society. The move was both a recognition of the de facto situation where serfdom was largely obsolete.
And it was a symbolic act of modernizing the nation’s legal and social structures by saying, “Hey, we are done with that period. We are moving on to the future now.” Elizabeth’s decision was driven by multiple factors. First, the rise of the market-based economy, the increased importance of wage labor, serfdom was just not really useful anymore.
There’s also the agricultural innovations, the enclosure movements, move towards more efficient profit-driven farming practices that didn’t rely on bound labor. The growing sense of individual rights of personal freedoms influenced by the renaissance humanism and the reformation, made the continuation of serfdom untenable.
Reformation
It all comes back to the Reformation. Everything comes back to the Reformation. Anyway, politically, Elizabeth understood the importance of consolidating her power by fostering loyalty among her subjects. And the abolition of serfdom helped to mitigate potential sources of discontent.
The immediate impact of the 1574 Proclamation was largely symbolic. Serfdom had already been in decline. However, it reinforced the transition towards a modern economy and even the concept of free labor. Former serfs who were now legally free could participate more fully in the economic life of the country, contributing to the growing market economy.
Landowners, too, could benefit from the formalization of labor arrangements, which allowed for more predictable and profitable agricultural practices. In broader historical terms, the end of serfdom under Elizabeth I marked a significant step in the evolution of English society.
It represented the culmination of centuries of economic, legal, and social change and set the stage for the further development of capitalism and individual rights. Elizabeth’s proclamation was a clear break from the medieval past and a move towards a more modern and dynamic future, reflecting the broader transformations of the Elizabethan era.
The End of Serfdom
The immediate consequences of the end of serfdom in England were profound for both former serfs and landowners. Former serfs were now legally free. They had greater autonomy over their lives and their labor. They could choose where to work, they could negotiate their wages, and move more freely in search of better opportunities.
This newfound freedom allowed many people to improve their living conditions and participate more actively in the growing economy. Landowners, on the other hand, had to adapt to the loss of a guaranteed labor force. But many had already transitioned to tenant farming and wage labor, and they found these arrangements were better for them economically either way.
The formal end of serfdom allowed landowners to consolidate their states and implement more efficient agricultural practices which then also contributed to increased productivity and profitability. The transition to a more modern market economy facilitated the rise of a free peasantry that could engage in diverse economic activities beyond just subsistence agriculture.
This shift contributed to the growth of rural markets, the expansion of trade, the development of early capitalist practices, and the social mobility that the end of serfdom provided also started to break down the rigid class structures, and it fostered a more dynamic and fluid society.
The end of serfdom in England occurred earlier than in many other parts of Europe. In France, serfdom persisted until after the French Revolution in the late 18th century, while in Russia, it was not abolished until 1861. The earlier end of serfdom in England provided a headstart in the transition to a market economy and the development of individual rights, which then set a precedent for other nations to follow.
So, as we reflect on this transformative period, we can appreciate the resilience and adaptability of English society in the face of immense change. Just a couple of notes here as we’re finishing up, the Elizabethan proclamation is something that you see online a lot, and it’s hard to find a primary source for that. So I spent a lot of time looking for like, “Where did Elizabeth actually say this?”.
Because it just seems to be like this thing that everybody knows about and yet you can’t really find a source for it. So one thing I did find, I found this on Quora, interestingly enough. So thank you. It was Paul who wrote this answer that I found. So he found it in a 1902 Encyclopedia Britannica, which read
“Serfdom died out in England without any special legislation against it. It survived in exceptional instances, as in France; Hallam mentions as the latest deed of enfranchisement one of Elizabeth in 1574 in favour of the bondmen on some of her manors,”
So that can be interpreted as Elizabeth just stating that these supposed bondsmen on her manors were free in law as they probably were by then in custom and in practice anyway because after the 14th century, it was very, very difficult to enforce any of the serfdom regulations and rules and all of these things as well. So it was more like her just recognizing, “Okay, this is officially a thing. Let’s just put a pin in it and call it done.” So that is where we get that 1574 date from.
If you really want to get into the decline of serfdom in late medieval England, there is a book called exactly that. Mark Bailey has written a book called The Decline of Serfdom in Late Medieval England: From Bondage to Freedom. It’s very academic, but it’s a very good book and really digs into serfdom. So if you really want to nerd out on that, check it out. I recommend you check out that book.
Also finally, an interesting note that I should say, even though this is the Renaissance English History Podcast soon enough of course, England and Scotland would be joined together. I did a mini-course on that for patrons last month.
Random share, but there was serfdom in Scotland until 1775, interestingly. Coal miners who had been kept in serfdom until 1775 were freed at that point. So there you go, that is a little bit about serfdom in the Middle Ages.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop. She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.