The manorial system was an important institution of the high middle ages. Under this system, the serfs worked in agricultural estates situated around a ‘Manor’ owned by a Lord. The serfs were not slaves. They too owned a piece of land but were under the control and jurisdiction of a Lord. They worked in the Lord’s fields as well as their own and paid taxes to the Lord. They undertook activities like grazing, collection of firewood, fishing, and cultivation on a common basis. It was like a closed community living. During the later high middle ages, the condition of the serfs improved. They paid rent instead of giving duties or services to the Lord.
