How Much It Sucked to Be a Medieval Serf

As draining as the 40 hour work week can be, we should really count our blessings for labor laws and HR departments. Picture yourself in the daily life of a serf: You work as much as your boss insists, you live in your boss’s house, and you can’t leave your boss’s house - even if they decide to sell it to someone else. You will live there forever, and your children will, as well.
#Serf #FeudalSystem #WeirdHistory

[@tgirl8955]

“A peasant was free to roam around and be poor on any street they pleased” I can relate

[@spoorthi_k]

Lmaooooo

[@MarysAbyss]

Mmmmmhmmmm Take ya time

[@chrissgchriss]

I can roam and choose any boss to keep me poor. Not far removed from a serf - don't even get land or a place to live!

[@miyamotomusashiPL7041]

This is bullshit. In the Kingdom of Poland, the peasant was assigned to one village and he couldn't leave because ,,he wanted that". If he wanted to leave place for moment (because of the wedding, for example), he had to ask the village mayor for permission. A peasant who escaped from village was treated as typical criminal.

[@LordGabriel427]

Damn 😂 It made me laugh 😂😂

[@lear0612]

Being a Serf: Sucks Being a Serf in Russia: Sucks just a little bit more

[@sand0decker]

It also continued into the 19th century as mentioned in the video in passing. I can see now why communism was so appealing

[@RyoKasai25]

@@sand0decker That's kinda the reason as to why first world countries never had communist revolutions. Even the most exploited english or danish worker has something to lose, but a starving vietnamese or russian peasant? In their eyes there's nothing to lose, they are already in the lowest.

[@Eastcyning]

@@RyoKasai25 Sort of. Labour aristocracy is the term used to refer to the conditions first world workers live in, but it's the same gist

[@pocketsand5216]

@@RyoKasai25 What do you mean about loss? Nothing is lost under socialism.

[@pocketsand5216]

@Lucio Pcamp That's authoritarianism, the USSR, under which personal liberty is lost, or regulated by the state, but where where is impeding personal liberty in the rhetoric of socialism?

[@Shadow-kq4yc]

“Some serfs had up to 2-3 weeks of sick time” You’re telling me serfs get more time off than me?

[@MusMasi]

rotfl

[@sgr1888]

But its not payed time off

[@Sophy-vk6or]

@@sgr1888 I have 2 hours of sick days...

[@Sophy-vk6or]

@@MusMasi ghh

[@Sophy-vk6or]

Ok

[@IanPhillipsUSA]

So they could have their labor sold, they were tortured at will, and could never leave their lords, but werent slaves?

[@amirysyafy4801]

The cannot be tortured at will as they have rights on their bodies.

[@buckaroobonzai2909]

They weren't generally kept in chains. It was somewhat possible to leave serfdom and become a peasant. They could marry who they chose (if allowed). They got a bit of their own land to grow their own food and they were most likely paid with coin. Often they were respected by and also respected their lords. If one lord sold his estate to another lord, the serfs maintained the place until the new lord moved in. There is such a thing as a benevolent tyrant. So I would say they definitely weren't slaves. I'm not saying that serfdom was good, but I imagine it was more like living in the same neighborhood as your current boss at work and having to work under that person. Personally, I wouldn't mind that because I love my boss, but I also am aware that my next boss could be a real bitch. At best you would be treated like a pet that was expected to work honestly and hard. Soft chains. At worst you might be worked to death or killed, or have your problems ignored. Iron chains. Definitely not the best situation. I value freedom over promises that some "master" or government program will take care of me. I'd rather own my own land and grow my own food, or at least buy it from another free person.

[@Athanatoi]

@@buckaroobonzai2909 Outside Europe this was called slavery

[@powerist209]

Well, Tsarist Russia’s serf is also same as slaves too, even up to using them as purchasable commodities.

[@sleeexs]

@@buckaroobonzai2909 Sounds like slavery

[@maysmith5893]

Wow. All of a sudden being a Peasant doesn't seem so bad.

[@darkond3523]

Being a peasant was and remains good. He have enough how much he needs and doesn't need to lie to survive and be worried some fucktard will steal shit from him since he barely have anything of interest. So the real joke is on those of wealth who were the first ones who got fucked when some invasion happened. The less you have the less to worry about.

[@MasterMind6225]

@@darkond3523 I think you have quite a romanticized idea of what being a peasant was like. It was even said in the video that peasant were basically serfs with freedom of movement. As for war not affecting peasants: what do you think "foraging" during wars was? Usually the best case scenario was that a passing army simply takes all your food and valuables, worst case is you and your entire family are killed, the farm burned to the ground and anything not nailed down was taken. That is of course in a normal campaign, then you had raids whose sole goal was the destruction of towns and the countryside (look up Black Prince's campaign in France during the 100-years war). There is a reason peasant revolts were common despite brutal suppression and harsh collective punishments when they failed.

[@darkond3523]

@@MasterMind6225 I could not care less what a braindead clickbait video says and you shouldn't too. Odrasti

[@JB-vd8bi]

@@darkond3523 *couldn't care less

[@Prosper_Dean]

@@JB-vd8bi shut up

[@vittxrio5198]

*Serfs making houses and clothes for themselves* Nobles: Hippity hoppity that's your Lord's property.

[@rebeccajones6345]

Thanks for the laugh

[@kegwg1830]

VITTXRIO medieval times in a nutshell

[@WarLasso]

Yeah, I'm sure lords loved wearing their serfs' rags and chilling in their huts.

[@vukashin88]

WarLasso They could just take them away out of spite though, not because they really needed it.

[@Hat-]

Y e s !

[@ImNotaRussianBot]

Peasant: "Go be poor somewhere else!" Serf: "Wish I could."

[@23feeling50]

What I learned from this is that medieval serfs, who were essentially property, were allowed more sick days per year than the average American citizen

[@PrezVeto]

Well, they weren't paid. Every American has as many unpaid sick days as they want: unemployment.

[@katieneubaum4284]

God that’s depressing

[@PrezVeto]

@@katieneubaum4284 Don't let a mischaracterization depress you.

[@tomb8430]

My job in Ausrralia gives me 15 days a year sick leave.

[@HuckleberryHim]

They also worked far fewer days of the year in general, fewer hours per week, and took breaks to feast and nap in between working.

[@RyanLendt]

the dislikes are all theatre majors

[@marsbit1711]

Ryan Lendt amd the director of the irishman

[@davidtingley9978]

It's nowhere near the dead end people think it is. I work with lots of people with theater degrees...in theaters (& other event spaces).

[@astralclub5964]

david tingley Yeah, Starbucks is a great place to work!

[@davidtingley9978]

@@astralclub5964 early in their careers, yes, sometimes.

[@CJ9007]

Its true

[@iksarguards]

When the best thing you can say about your life is that you’re not *technically* a slave.

[@FilipusRSDE]

@Lord Farquaad A person can refuse a job. Refuse to work is another story.

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

it basically.

[@emceeunderdogrising]

Wage slavery is a type of slavery. Though I guess it could be called slavery lite. You don't want to work? Than prepare to die early after decades of being homeless.

[@georgetitsworth8919]

@Lord Farquaad "whatever you want" is different depending on how much money your parents have. For instance the difference between a lord and a peasant

[@evilpimp4371]

I'll take being a serf over being a full blown slave any time

[@divinityd662]

That just sounds like slavery with extra steps

[@kanenewman5517]

Nope that would be employment under a free market capitalist economy

[@mpetty45]

nooooo they pay themselves morty lol

[@nam7700]

Rick and morty ?

[@dudedude7650]

@@kanenewman5517 Go live in the woods somewhere if you don’t like a free market economy (happens to be the best system of economics that we have).

[@kanenewman5517]

@@dudedude7650 didn’t work in 2008? Doing pretty bad right now as well 😂 according to you history has ended and we are at the peak of human civilisation. What ever makes you feel good buddy.

[@shiragoldberg7744]

If history was presented like this in schools... perhaps some of us would have paid a lot more attention. Love, someone who got an “F” in world history during high school yet can’t get enough of this channel

[@serenemountain6769]

if History was presented has it really is! you would be horrified with how much is really censored !

[@sleeexs]

@@serenemountain6769 History is written by the victors

[@serenemountain6769]

@@sleeexs Yes it is, that's why i cross reference every historical event to look for independent views of all accounts. Always distrust the official narrative.

[@MusMasi]

you must of really hated it, had bad teachers or it was a really bad curriculum to get an F.

[@jovannyc7158]

I actually enjoyed ap history! The course was faster so i just read the assignments and spent hours studying history facts hahah

[@umeng2002]

Modern corporations used this period as a training manual.

[@BrickMediaStudios]

never change a winning formula

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

Especially private prisons.

[@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge]

@chespokotota I don't think a medieval serf would agree with ya'

[@GlamStacheessnostalgialounge]

@chespokotota Well shit, didn't think of that.

[@nestormakhno9266]

grumpy old fart that’s because the vast majority of the population has not fully benefited from industrialization because of the bourgeoisies ownership of the means of production, only when the bourgeoisie are eliminated and the means of production collectivized will we see the fruits of not only our labor, but all the generations before who have been robbed by the parasites.

[@ivanstyles2065]

“The powerful have always preyed on the powerless, that’s how they became powerful in the first place.” -Tyrion Lannister

[@moguldamongrel3054]

Doesn't that make them weak by default? The powerful preyed on the powerful making them more powerful...

[@cloudgamer178]

Bailbondsh

[@itsyaboi5165]

Fuck that show

[@joshjacob1980]

You can say that again!!!

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

@@itsyaboi5165 no it's amazing.

[@Scyber_Official]

-"Serf's up m'lord". King: "Hang Ten". -"Ten have been hanged, m'lord."

[@mac2312]

Daaammmnnn 😂

[@TrueCrimeTalkWithTaves]

I didn’t know until like a couple of years ago where the term “landlords” came from

[@serenemountain6769]

serf is a kind word to hide the name slave ! but it is what it is, a slave of the middle ages !

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Really?

[@samblovinglife7946]

No master bedroom...the origin blew my mind I never put those two things together.

[@Cz-zi3my]

@@samblovinglife7946 That ones a misconception

[@lainiwakura7556]

I’m serious when I say I cannot understand how human kind survived the Middle Ages

[@12staunton1]

I mean how was it meant to die exactly?

[@lainiwakura7556]

Ethan Staunton I just don’t get how people still had the will to live through all this... but humanity and the instinctual desire to survive persists through everything

[@armanddejonghe8554]

because they were f.....ng like pigs !

[@rafaelcaixeta3191]

How human kind survived all ages, life wasn't that better before the middle ages if you weren't rich or a noble.

[@alitkhalife7028]

@@lainiwakura7556 smart

[@rubenhernandez9548]

“You’ve heard of the golden rule? Haven’t you?” “Who ever has the gold makes the rules.”

[@FarmersAreCool]

It is why the first two letters of Authority are AU.

[@Valerio_the_wandering_sprite]

👴🏻🧒🏻🦜🐒

[@moguldamongrel3054]

It's always been disturbing easy to take gold. Ask the guy who's about to cut your throat.

[@murugesanperumal8386]

Well said 👍

[@madamlt5758]

Yeah those who have all the gold are usually dickheads.

[@ludwigvanbeethoven5176]

"You serf!" just doesn't sound as good as "You peasant!" ;-;

[@mtlicq]

Saying "You serf!" back then would be like saying "You citizen!" in today's world.

[@donHooligan]

"You could call me Dennis" (monty python)

[@moneyandtimefreedom3352]

Yes, yes I do the waves were great today.

[@brandoncue3013]

Me: Wanting to go to sleep at 1am KZbin: Do you want to learn what a Serf is ?

[@kcmcclary569]

XD! The itch for knowledge I can relate .

[@blackcat6836]

Just had it happen to me at 1:30am.

[@BoogalooBoy]

"Its like the minecraft villagers, you can't kill them but you can push them into water or lava.

[@stantorren4400]

Underrated

[@MildLemonaidShits]

What do you mean you can't kill them??

[@aperson5385]

A P oh-

[@aperson5385]

Sippy Cup Johnson u can but the iron golem...

[@CoffeeSuccubus]

@@aperson5385 don't ruin the joke

[@kranksmusic8733]

The irony of me laughing at theater majors as I sit jobless with a geo science degree is almost too much to handle.

[@SuperDeinVadda]

Hahaha You are a rock fetishist lol

[@emmacat3202]

you could teach high school until you find the job you want.

[@squip7]

You can't work environmental roles? They have good salaries in Canada.

[@BlastinRope]

I got a degree in computer science, 90k starting pay, 3 weeks paid vacation a year, year end stock bonus ended up paying out 30k

[@mpforeverunlimited]

@@BlastinRope that's great

[@lowrider81hd]

A not-so-Fun fact: Switzerland had serfs until the 1960. They were called “Verdingkinder”. They were children from poor families, or taken away from the Yenisch - a gypsy tribe - and made to work on farms and in factories. My adoptive dad was a boy that had been taken from his family and put to work when he was just 6 years old.

[@patrickohooliganpl]

Also the old people were abandoned and sold at such auctions. A Polish 19-th century writer named Maria Konopnicka wrote a story about such practice in Switzerland titled _At_ _the_ _Mercy_ _of_ _the_ _Parish_ _-_ _The_ _Postcard_ _from_ _Hottingen_ (1891). It was not serfdom but rather tantamount to chattel slavery.

[@lowrider81hd]

@@patrickohooliganpl Yes. Thank you for the tip!

[@giraffesinc.2193]

That's horrible!!!!

[@lowrider81hd]

@@giraffesinc.2193 Yo that’s that white privilege.

[@imarchello]

@@lowrider81hd There's no privilege if everyone's white.

[@seanwilson7825]

Hmmm Are we still serfs? Toiling away paying on 30 year mortgages with money made out of nothing by a bank?

[@evilgasm5320]

Nothing much has changed lol. Money is not the problem , it's the concept of interest that's poisoning the system.

[@bluesmurff6163]

Pretty much like Roman slaves. We have a debt to pay and IF we save enough to repay it and save enough for retirement, then we're free

[@JohnD595]

Yes

[@swevixeh]

Wage & debt slavery

[@Video-Games-Are-Fun]

you are absolutely WRONG. you own private property and the home can be sold 30 years from then and make you an instant millionaire. you can also choose your job and employer.

[@current9300]

In Finnish language serfs are actually called "maaorja", which literally means land slave.

[@turblijura]

In Estonian - Pärisori. Means Real slave or slave for keeps.

[@NorthernGreenEyes]

As opposed to water slaves haha I'll show myself out..

[@TENthe10th]

In germany they are called 'Leibeigene' -> (Leib=body/ eigene=owned) and if someone owning someones body isnt the deffinition of a slave, idk what is

[@infinitejest8012]

In Italian is "servi della gleba" that also mean land slave

[@peaou]

In Lithuanian they are called baudžiauninkas, an old word, wich probably means the one, who has to be punished, something like a prisoner

[@Pikkabuu]

You forgot to add that people at Medieval times had one perk. Tons of day offs as the church was big on saints, martyrs memorial days etc. that an estimated third of the year was some form of religious holiday. So while life sucked at least they had tons of time to revel in their misery.

[@redlou3908]

Pikkabuu lmao „tons of time to revel in there misery“ 😂 that sounds ahm.. bad xD

[@user-ux7yg2ch6i]

No, because they had to actually go to church and do a load of other stuff like make and grow everything they needed.

[@buckaroobonzai2909]

Also there awere a lot of slow, mid-summer farm days. Winter was pretty easy as well as long as their was enough food and firewood stored.

[@MusMasi]

the church could be the cruelest and most greedy landlord of them all.

[@GustavoCardoso95]

Bruh what the fuck are you talking about 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ottz2506]

This gives me flashbacks to when someone was trying to convince me that we were better off going back to feudalism (these people must naively think that they would be the lords and wouldn’t be the serf labour). If only I could send them off in a time machine, I’d gladly do so.

[@MusMasi]

yeah they automatically think they are going to be in the noble class lol.

[@paulleckner9148]

@@MusMasi Life is always good when you are in the top 1%.

[@professionalpainthuffer]

"making wool" hurts my ears buddy they spun yarn, if they had access to sheep. Said yarn was typically the lord's property, but sheep produce a metric shitton of wool, so it was worth the effort of outsourcing some of the spinning. As the whole serf thing faded out, many tenants began to keep their own sheep, as it's easier to graze sheep and spend a few quid on a spindle or wheel than it is to buy clothing. Thanks, industrial revolution. It's also worth noting that the yarn produced by mediavel serfs wasn't the good squishy stuff people like now, it was single-ply and closer to thread than modern yarn. It was used for both knitting and weaving, as it's small diameter made it suitable for both.

[@donkonkem6130]

Man, Russia was stuck in Medieval times until the 19th Century? That's gotta suck.

[@Sticky1254]

yeah then the laborers did what american workers need to do soon

[@r0xjo0]

We are still serfs. The only difference is that today the lords have gotten better at convincing you that you actually have freedom.

[@ReasonAboveEverything]

Why such an destructive ideology as communism rose makes much more sense in that context.

[@thegigadykid1]

That's why Peter the great took control a century before

[@joshualieberman1059]

Tony Marselle that's correct, I'm a Russian and if you don't have special connections it's much better to be a foreigner in Russia than Russian citizen...up to this day.

[@iannordin5250]

Russian Nobility: haha all these idiots giving up free labour what are they thinking Russian Nobility in the 20th century: Why do I hear boss music

[@TheGreatMoonFrog]

Russian leadership after the revolution: Look at all this free labour just lying around.

[@iannordin5250]

@@TheGreatMoonFrog russian leadership after revolution: haha all these idiots giving up free labour what were they thinking

[@clausroquefort9545]

Capitalists in 1990: look at all this free labour lying around.

[@jonahlieb4118]

Aliens in 2069: look at all this free labour lying around

[@clausroquefort9545]

@@jonahlieb4118 a civilization that is capable of interstellar travel would be far too advanced to have any reason to use local biological life as a workforce. Our biosphere would either be a contamination that gets in the way of their automated mining machinery by launching nukes at it in self defense, or they would go prime directive on our asses and turn the place into the space equivalent of a nature reserve.

[@trentsmith357]

I have a severe allergy to grass and tree pollen, so I can only imagine the pure hell of being a serf with rashes and a runny nose every day out in the field. I am so lucky to be born in this generation in the free world.

[@istvanpraha]

I wonder if you would have been allergic to the specific types there. Also possible that antibiotics and modern life in general has killed loads of good bacteria in us that helps our immune system. I lived in Europe for years and my allergies went away when I was there and came back in the USA.

[@Gaming4Justice]

Imagine being so lucky as to be not be able to be sold. Good old Estonian serfdom for 600 years wasn't as nice.

[@scipioafricanus5871]

"Serfdom for 600 years? That sounds like a choice."

[@jonplaud]

American companies would love to see this practice come back.

[@NefariousKoel]

So... trying to become more like China then?

[@r13hd22]

Really? Only American companies? Are you another one of those far leftists that believe Slavery was only in America? Europe had serfdom, but the rest of the world had been practicing slavery for 1000s of years and the slaves brought from Africa to America, were purchased from African slave holders. Yes, slavery was evil...but it was all over the world and it was America and Europe that used their economic might to force other nations to end it in their countries and many of them were still practicing it long after it was ended in the west...and some of them are bringing it back today.

[@r13hd22]

​@Richard Foran yet he still made his statement as if American companies WANT it and only they do.

[@stephenhancock1578]

I'm sure some people in the government would love this same control over their citizens. Just like it was the government that caused serfdom back then.

[@r13hd22]

@@stephenhancock1578 Thankfully Sanders lost Super Tuesday so he wont be greatly expanding that kind of government. Under Socialism, everyone not in government is a serf.

[@lauraflotron9707]

Out of ALL of the atrocious facts presented here, the one that made my blood run cold was "living with your boss." I have hives now just thinking about it, but thanks for another great video!

[@MisterSisterFister666]

That one got me too. I couldn't imagine dealing with it

[@stella-vu8vh]

I'd cry every day

[@leenacabe6374]

I absolutely love these videos! I don't think so much it's the video itself as much as it is the guy narrating it. I love his enthusiasm and his dry humor is right up my alley. Keep it up weird history guy we love you

[@DanZaiOfficial]

I just wanted to say...I discovered this channel yesterday and have been glued all night and day, I even stayed up too late and kept watching. Please keep going!

[@GarC170]

In all my years I never knew there was a legal distinction between serfs and peasants, interesting stuff thank you!

[@glennso47]

In today’s workforce there is no difference.

[@JAYZ999]

We’re not selling you! Just your labor! It’s not slavery I promise!

[@r0xjo0]

It's just taxes, not theft. I promise.

[@sampeterson6538]

kinsmarts yeah, he’s forced to work indefinitey and has no freedoms at all but it’s totally not slavery bro, for sure

[@sampeterson6538]

kinsmarts so serfs weren’t slaves to you?

[@MrSingularity44]

@kinsmarts To be fair, slaves could have it better than serfs and vice versa. I doubt it brought much comfort to a serf or slave that their misery had a different name for the ones who inflicted it on them.

[@MultiRenegade6]

Today that's called Contracting.

[@Expat47]

12 acres isn't a "small plot" especially when you have to work it by hand.

[@newshound2521]

I was thinking gee thats good. Less than half acre here costs over $500,000.

[@JahBreed]

Oh my gosh. Thank you. I am currently embroiled in a drama involving rich people which the Govt. all but begged me to do business with as an Apprentice tradesperson. 😂Yesssss! There are many aspects of my experience which coincide with the experience offered under Serfdom! This is getting good! First I uncover how they break the law as common practice, now I've got a name to ascribe to the type of culture I'd found myself locked into😂Ah haaa haaaaaaaa! Having to learn to compete with degreed sociopaths is starting to pay off.

[@Makem12]

Europe: Rich people: Worthless peons! You should be grateful that I allow you to use any of my land for yourselves. I am superior! *Peasants revolt occurs* Rich people: Why are you so angry and want to kill me? I treated you unbelievably well!

[@TooLittleInfo]

And now it's the US in 2020!

[@Makem12]

@Slick Grit Productions I'm rather glad that hasn't happened. The military would likely be engaged in a violent struggle here in the States if things were that bad.

[@joea5183]

@@TooLittleInfo tf u talking about? Braindead

[@illuminahde]

I cannot believe your lords have allowed you to acquire such useless skills such as reading and writing. I shall openly scold them for your insolence at the next banquet but for now, I suggest you all promptly get back to your chores.

[@jessicaclark7130]

Underrated comment 🥇

[@carriel3054]

This guy's voice fills such a void in my life now that Kevin Spacey is cancelled.

[@VanityDivined]

“What do you think? Do rich ppl always win?” *when Teacher is trying to tell you, without telling you* 😆

[@ryanrobot7975]

"3 day work week" Ok you're tempting me a little

[@mattcruse495]

The black death contributed so much to the Liberty and freedom from servitude and serfdom in Europe.

[@paradoxinmotion]

this would be an interesting conversation!

[@mass.1710]

Very true, supply of serfs was low cause majority of them died all over Europe. Serfs had bargaining power finally! Rest is history.

[@arya31ful]

6:50 i like how this "evil lord" looks alot like Farquad.

[@livingbeyondnature]

A black friend of mine before he died once told me slavery never left us it just evolved

[@vintaqe_vibez5978]

He's very much right.

[@marvelchuruk7052]

Your way of presentation and the humor are amazing 😂😂😂

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

Wow, a medieval serf was actually one of the worst things to be and for anyone’s whose ancestor was a serf. Just be glad you and I are living in much better times lol

[@absalon1992]

I see u again question, do you legit watch all the vids? Or just abit

[@claudettemarshall115]

Living in much better times is debatable.

[@alyssaa.2882]

@Helios Sphere ... America was built on Africans that were stolen from their homeland less than 300 years ago. Serfs literally existed in medieval times and white people made white people do work because they held power. The situations are hardly comparable. No one said you were "evil" bc you were white, lmao- If anything you're evil for believing innocent people don't deserve reparations.

[@teemuleppa3347]

@@claudettemarshall115 actually its not....life was horrible back then exept for the 1%ers.... short and shitty lives

[@TheSandwichMonster]

@@alyssaa.2882 I think you throw the term Evil around too easily. Do Norwegian countries owe reparations to northern Europe for their slavery and pillaging(vikings)? Do most middle eastern countries owe reparations to the few surviving relatives of the middle eastern slave trade which was bigger? And most slaves there were mutilated through castration. Africans weren't stolen from their homeland. Most slaves were purchased from black slave owners or slave makers in Africa and shipped to the US. At the time they were considered property by both the buyers and the sellers so they weren't stolen. Slavery was awful. Central America took part too, are you looking at those countries for reparations? Most great civilizations and countries were built on the back of slavery. Just because the US is one of the newer ones doesn't mean modern day citizens owe anything to anyone. Slavery was awful but reparations won't do anything to change that. Affirmative action was and has been more beneficial than giving every African American a cheque. They'd burn through the cheque in a few months. At least right now there being offered education and jobs they otherwise might not get above more talented or deserving individuals. What "innocent people" deserve reparations in your eyes, and why? You can't hold people from 100+ or 1000+ years to the same standards of people today. Slavery was awful. Without slavery you wouldn't have the world you have today. Both positive and negative.

[@MuddieRain]

“Help! Help! I'm being oppressed! Violence inherent in the system! Violence inherent in the system! “

[@kari7403]

Yup! There it is! I was about the write the exact same thing. But I thougjt better of it, and went looking for it first. Lol.

[@TheChugg11]

BHammer Bloody peasant!

[@nedparsons5668]

We have no Lord of the castle, we have a collective with a rotating leadership system. What?! No Lord?

[@shane87smith]

*repressed

[@ayndie38]

That's what I'm on about!!!

[@Valecto]

My great-great-grandfather was a baron in Vaud, Switzerland. During my military service I became friend with the son of farmer from the same area... then we realized his ancestors were actually serfs on my ancestors' domain !

[@scipioafricanus5871]

"...then we realized his ancestors were actually serfs on my ancestors' domain !" and things got super awkward real fucking quick when he started to demand reparations on behalf of his ancestors.

[@Valecto]

@@scipioafricanus5871 Not at all... quite the opposite actually. We became good friends. But anytime I would ask him to pass me an object (like "pass the salt"), he would refuse and reply angrily : "I'm not your serf anymore!" ... and then we would both laugh ! And no, he never asked for compensation... we are both white (him more than me actually). But I did offer him a beer from time to time while we were out with some other soldiers in my platoon.

[@hellogoodbye637]

Like a theatre major omgggggg I'm DYING 🤣🤣🤣🤣. I hella subsrcibed to this channel

[@mysteamgameplay]

okay how the hell did i never learn about Medieval Serfs in my history classes? I thought peasants were the lowest a person could go

[@kari7403]

I heard of serfs. But they always seemed interchangeable with peasants when taught in school.

[@dollors1]

Because you might self reflect and have an independent thought

[@laurensjanthijssen2849]

Because all of europe is evil. So it cant be that you are a descendent of poor people..you are from slave owning colonisers.

[@pedrolmlkzk]

Tbqh going by most people it's likely you did learn and didn't pay attention

[@Redster3]

Because the Elites wants us modern serfs to be divided rather than unified and would be horrified if all of us realized that EVERY race has been a victim of their oppression so they tricked everyone into believing it was the straight, white man's fault for all of history's problems

[@haileyharmon5298]

F for all the Serfs. Also a topic about the Ancient Roman diet would be a nice video.

[@typocvron4171]

F

[@CDNShuffle]

F

[@emperoromulus3054]

F

[@williamchristensen7354]

F

[@miguelare3]

F U

[@btetschner]

A+ video! LOVE IT! What a shocking part of history!

[@Houleigan]

"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!!" "bloody peasant!"

[@scipioafricanus5871]

"Oh, that's a dead give-away!"

[@jasongallman2032]

Now you see the violence inherent in the system.

[@jamesbarnousky1270]

"Russian forces in the *middle ages* were extremely dependent on serf and peasant labor, boosting the amount of soldiers to over one million men throughout the *nineteenth century* " Wat.

[@Nikola95inYT]

Yes, this is bullshit. Serfs weren't allowed to even touch a weapon, the military activity was exclusively a nobility's privilege, they were the separate class in medieval times. Russia started to conscript serfs only in 18th century by decree of Peter the Great.

[@DeezUp4Da3zz]

@@Nikola95inYT by 18th century they were allowed weapons, video said 19th century?

[@Hektols]

@@Nikola95inYT Serf's weren't allowed to touch weapon in peace time, when there was a war they were given some cheap weapons and went to battle as human shields to make things easier for the men at arms and nobles, considered more valuable.

[@rosebud4387]

@@Nikola95inYT Serfs did not get to touch a weapon they were sent to war with sticks to fight with my friend.

[@MusMasi]

@@Hektols they became literal fodder.

[@Flow86767]

In French Canada, a certain form of Serfdom, was still in place until 1854. It was a « Seigneurial » system, were a « Seigneur » had control of his « censitaire » who had to pay for the land and had to do all kind of forced works for him (called « corvée ») on top of giving a production of grain. Even after the British conquest, it took from 1774 all the way up to 1854 to end it.

[@GemmaJadeYT]

I always wanted to live in a different time. I’ve never fit in, especially with ppl my own age. My mom always said “Gemma you were born too late, the 60’s would’ve loved you!” However I always wanted to live WAY back, in the Renaissance times. I stumbled upon this channel a coupleafew days ago and can’t stop watching. I love how you take accurate history and make it hilarious. My best female friend was 94 when I was 31 and she passed, she was replaced by my new female bestie who is 74 and my best friend in the entire world passed last year 2 weeks before his 75th bday. I just turned 37. My husband is turning 63 today. Guess I’m just an old soul....

[@tanyad7894]

Gemma, I totally *get* you! My late husband would have been 72, had he not passed by fatal accident 16 years ago. So many people rudely believe(d) all the wrong things about our relationship. ~ the latest of which being the 16 y.o. son of my now 6 year companion. Ageism seems to be an ingrained societal belief, and it hurts to lose your best friend, biggest cheerleader, and love - and then to again have your heart stomped for having felt that way at all. I lost a very good female friend who was 92 only a year or two ago. Mind you, I have forged a few rare friendships who truly understand and are closer to my age. I think perhaps, the reason these people are so hard to find when they are younger, is the masks that they feel they must put on for society's sake - and that as we get older, those masks don't mean as much in terms of being able to fit in and make a living anymore. I hope you and I continue to forge new relationships with "old souls" of all ages, as I'm beginning to see that I need these kind souls in my life to keep sane and survive... and the younger ones will need us for the same reasons!

[@alexlos37]

The fact that people are comparing themselves to serfdom while typing on a phone, or computer shows how much we've failed them in rationality.

[@GustavoCardoso95]

Yes. Some people can’t even understand humor

[@Tenchinu]

Weird History: So tell us, do rich people always win? Me, watching how billionaires keep reshaping the landscape and buy presidential spots: Serfdome 4 life!!

[@fionafiona1146]

Lady Jenny of Westphalia was quite eloquent on the Matter, fitting with her husband's writings.

[@mireillelebeau2513]

Spot on

[@creamychoclatelobsterwarri979]

Hillary, whom the establishment bet on, lost

[@Makem12]

2020 losing party will start chanting "Not my Lord!"

[@niculaandrei2556]

my good sir im no serf IM A PEASENT

[@MarloSoBalJr]

Noblemen: "You're still an insignificant, lower life form" Peasant: "Dude, there's a difference"

[@doctorscalling9479]

Console serfs

[@yorusuyasoul69420]

Shut up you peasant

[@aaronkane2010]

Sounds like a Monty python quote

[@serenemountain6769]

Noble! i Will Whip the Searf out of you Peasant! Work i Say ! Work !

[@djay4588]

0:46 End of intro 2:08 Any serfs property was their lords property 3:03 Taxes rent and payment to their lords 3:57 Serfs we required to fight in the lords army 4:52 Serfs needed permission from their lord to get married 6:20 Being a serf sucked 7:23 Serfs had to pay to perform duties 8:17 The lord was often the party and the judge in court 9:14 Serf families lived separately from other serfs 10:02 Serfs left to live as free peasants 10:05 Serfdom took a long time to end 12:05 Serfdom was the blueprint for the transatlantic slave trade

[@juanh.8836]

I bet serfs of those days didn't know how much their lives sucked cause the life they had was the only one that they knew. When you are raised a certain way, and you have lived that way your entire life you are comfortable and adjusted to that lifestyle. Most of them didn't have to worry about dying of old age because the average lifespan didn't generally go beyond 50

[@gimmeabreakplease3634]

Okay, I found the tone throughout this whole video incredibly humorous.

[@AtraNoctes]

As a theatre major, you didn't have to tell the whole net my business like that...

[@richardlew3667]

I'll never complain about my life again

[@piesoup]

Nice video! I am from Asia and don't know much about European history. I've watched a lot of medieval movies, but I think this is the first time I've ever heard of this word, serf. Really great information.

[@MayaMcComas]

I’m really glad I discovered this channel now that I can’t leave my house

[@JackyLegs]

@weirdhistory it’s crazy how in line your video uploads have been with my seventh grade history curriculum! This is like the fourth or fifth time I’ve seen a video in the morning that I’ve decided I’m going to use today in my lesson, thanks weird history!!

[@GodofWarChuka]

Ultimately we all have the same outcome at the end of life. Doesn’t matter who you are or how much money you have in the Bank. The best thing people can do is try and find Happiness in this life. Realize how important family is. And to be Right with God.

[@TheMainCharacter93]

Spoken like a true middle classer

[@triangulum8869]

@@TheMainCharacter93 The middle class is just a way for billionaires to divide people poorer than them and keep attention off them

[@germ-x6855]

Aight bro, but I'd like to have some fun before meeting the gods lol

[@GodofWarChuka]

@@germ-x6855 That’s all we can do is try. At least most of us nowadays have it a lot better then the medieval peasants and serfs! LoL

[@genghiskhan5701]

@@GodofWarChuka Technically, we have it better than Kings did Kings and nobles also shared the same threat of dying if not more due to them expected to join a war

[@a.v.d2315]

love the surf music backing the serf video

[@ChristmasCrybaby]

Moral of the story: be a serf or indentured servant instead of a Theatre Major!

[@Butros1]

Love the cool European and English history , we dont get enough in American schools

[@johnthefreeguy]

We don't get enough American history in European schools while it's actually really fascinating what the colonists had to endure during the first settlements or the Wild West era

[@vukashin88]

Poof ahem, sub-serfient

[@KristinkaAranova]

American history is boring as shit

[@jonajo9757]

At my highschool, all we learn about medieval history is "Europe backwards and unadvanced, malnutrition, no education, crude, shit covered streets and poor hygiene, and other tropes from a grim film from the 80s.""

[@TheTaxburden]

@@KristinkaAranova lmao

[@Literarydilettante]

Yeah, medieval Europe is a hard pass even if time travel becomes a thing.

[@vinnie9458]

I would actually rather live In the Islamic caliphate (only long before the mongols came) and I’m a conservative Christian

[@oneshotme]

Enjoyed your video and I gave it a Thumbs Up for the support of your channel

[@dollinterrupted]

I think it was precious how you specifically described the men’s work as back breaking but not the women’s but then you go on to describe the women’s chores which mostly involves back breaking work....

[@jeffthevomitguy1178]

Interesting, does YOUR back hurt specifically? Is that why this struck a nerve?

[@sun_buddy]

@@jeffthevomitguy1178 it do be back breaking doe

[@jeffthevomitguy1178]

hey buddy I don’t remember commenting this...

[@HunterCihal]

All this sounds similar to my minimum wage job, except I definitely don't get 2-3 weeks of sick leave lol.

[@r0xjo0]

That is because you are still a serf. They just got better at convincing you otherwise to keep you happier and more productive.

[@Woah595]

Well its a good thing to twll your boss if they bitch at you for taking too many sock days 'even medievel serfs got more slack'

[@EroticOnion23]

Well you can quit, serfs couldn't quit. Not the same is it??...

[@DeezUp4Da3zz]

That's your own fault tho, they didn't have a choice you do, you choose to stay working your minimum wage dead end job.... man the fuck up

[@sampeterson6538]

EroticOnion23 and do what, go to another minimum wage job with the same conditions?

[@OrthodoxofUSA]

Thanks for the great content!

[@thebasyir3641]

serfs in military: so that’s it huh... we’re some sort of *serf squad*

[@tipsysmichigander6483]

12 acres - a small plot of land. Tell that to any subdivision family with 0.3-0.6 an acre.

[@rebeccajones6345]

Who are expected to buy their food at the grocery store, not grow it all including livestock.

[@r0xjo0]

.3 acres??? A luxury that is found nowhere in the l.a. basin. Try more like .03 acres.

[@AsiaMinor12]

Tell those suburbanites to grow their own food, see how long they last.

[@dominusempyreus2383]

"You dislike feudalism, yet you toil the fields? Curious!"

[@fawnieee]

www.google.com/search?q=we+should+change+society+somewhat&safe=strict&client=ms-android-google&prmd=isvn&sxsrf=ALeKk01QeA41n1iPsLyP5Ia-Z_6stQ_qDQ:1594933297114&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjcpfXE1dLqAhUNYcAKHVNuAwgQ_AUoAXoECA4QAQ&biw=393&bih=680#imgrc=DrOOcBe5cOTmnM

[@saramuresan9305]

😂

[@gabrielaubry1334]

"I don't have a choice. YOU DO!"

[@mac2312]

Not much has changed. Most companies treat their employees like indentured servants

[@Agent1W]

I would like to ask Great Britain to pay me reparations for the serfdom in my family line, if any.

[@bethyeary8995]

They should teach this stuff more in school.

[@desertblade1874]

Good idea... So history could never be repeated again Living free is far better than being a serf under the whim of a noble

[@NietzscheanMan]

Indeed, communism is horrific.

[@iCraft54Games]

I learned this in 7th grade history

[@armanddejonghe8554]

@@desertblade1874 History is always repeated , and soner than you think , because the rulers and politicians never will learn anithing !

[@Boudiccanyc]

Beth Yeary You probably didn’t listen or read in school. All of this shit was taught in like middle school and high school.

[@donnebes9421]

“Like a theater major”😂

[@thefunkosaurus]

KZbin. Revenge of the Thespian

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

Bruh

[@Pendragon981]

High Court Executioner: "Any last words you dirty serf?" Me: *"Serfs up brotendo!"* .. ☠

[@gijsv8419]

It was also impossible to go to a town and live there. Life was much more restricted as you tell it here. I guess much ended at the French Revolution, but some parts of poor peasantry stayed till the late 1800's. These people were dependant of their landlords.

[@plaidpvcpipe3792]

Just remember though, most lords were good to their tenants, because if you are not good to them, they can die, be unwilling to work, be unwilling to fight for you, and much, much more. Overall, being rude to your serfs and/or lesser nobles was a net loss for a lord.

[@nicford1486]

Plaid PVCPipe Also, you are living in an era of Christendom. And while not every single person was practicing “loving thy neighbor”, there was certainly the acknowledgment of the standard, and also the prominence of the church (assuming no corruption) to put pressure on those who were cruel

[@FigureOnAStick]

My guess is it was probably hit or miss at best. Sure, the lords were outnumbered but as we have seen in recent years, you can get away with a lot if you have an unfair advantage. It's not easy to risk your neck for a revolt if you know that every lord in the kingdom is going to ride out to crush you if you somehow manage to win.

[@dionysus1917]

Nic Ford lmao mate Christianity was all about submission and oppression. They only allowed mostly priests to read and write. And they hunted and killed anyone of knowledge or who past on our Pagan Traditions, labelling them “Wizards” and “Witches”, and torturing them to death.

[@nicford1486]

Dionysus you’re mixing a few different time eras together for a vast generalization. Yes, typically only clergy could read or write and a few lay people. But mass literacy is an extremely modern idea. (In fact you can think Protestant Christianity for that, specifically William tyndale who wanted every plow boy to be able to read the Bible). So the lack of education was the norm, not the exception. Don’t forget, that as monasticism rose, so did the opportunity for education, even for women. As for the literal Witch hunts, I’m sure there were some in early European Christendom. By the high Middle Ages though, there doesn’t seem to be many signs of paganism. There were some remnants like the holidays and feast days that were converted to Christian holy days and whatnot. Hunting and killing could be associated with the Spanish Inquisition, but that was a later time period and once again, an exception and not a norm. But really I reject your premise. European Christendom in the Middle Ages was not about “submission and oppression”. You misunderstand the relationships between church and state in the premodern era.

[@dionysus1917]

Nic Ford I’m not mixing eras. I’m referring to when Christianity first began invading Europe (400 A.D.) to the Protestant Reformation (1500 A.D.) and even after. You are wrong on so many levels that I don’t even know where to start. But here we go: *1.* You make a big deal about women being taught to write 1000 years later - but that’s only after they have stomped out our traditions and culture. Previous to the invasion of the abrahamic religion, Women were actually always taught the culture/traditions, and were responsible for teaching the next generation via oral traditions. Pre-Christianity, Europeans were much better taught than afterwards. *2.* “As for the literal Witch Hunts,* this shit lasted into late European Christendom, and through all the Middle Ages. From the destruction of Donars Oak and all our Temples, to the Genocide of the Catharsis, to the Inquisition, to the Protestant Reformation of Martin Luther, to the Scottish Protestant Rebellion, to the creation of the Church of England, to the Salem Witch Trials. There was basically 1000 years of oppressing, torturing, and executing European Pagans, hence “The Dark Ages), when History basically stopped getting recorded and all superior Pagan Science, Culture, and Art was repressed until the Renaissance. *3.* It’s not just “some holidays and feast days” that were converted from Paganism - ALL the high holidays and feast days originate from Paganism. *4.* How can you seriously claim that the Spanish Inquisition was an exception and not the rule, when EVERY pagan temple in Europe was destroyed?? And everywhere it was punishable by death, if you were caught practicing Halow Eve or Yuletide. Even today, you’d get arrested for practicing Yuletide initiation rituals properly. Even the term “goblin” was created as a propaganda term against the Children undergoing Halow-Eve. *5.* It’s funny you mention the Inquisition though, because the Pagan Nature of the Cathars, has really become the most popular religion amongst the masses of Europe - which is why the Pope ordered them all to be Genocided lol. That is the only was how Christianity spread in the first place - by the bloody sword. Elsewise nobody would be Christian. It took literally more than 1000 years to get Europeans to stop practicing Paganism, and ultimately in the end, Christianity had to give in and adopt our festivals and some of our traditions - because it was clear we were willing to die, rather than give them up. *6.* If Christianity wasn’t about “Oppression and Submission”, then how come literally nobody even knew who Jesus really was until the Bible was translated by Martin Luther in 1500. That’s for 500-1500, 1000 years of Europeans being forced to worship Jesus, whilst not even understanding who Jesus really was - a peasant like them. You call withholding the truth about a man who you are being forced to worship (by the threat of death) for 1000 years, not submission or oppression?? *7.* Lastly, I think it’s worth mentioning, that Henry VIII basically got all his money from sacking the monasteries - who basically had all the wealth, while the masses lived in extreme poverty. But they weren’t oppressing anyone right?? 🤔 Lol. 😂 Clearly you are either extremely ignorant of history, or an extremely bias Catholic.

[@thebrocialist8300]

‘Serfs up, bruh!’ - Aragonese Lord

[@marvwatkins7029]

How many countless bosses and business owners out there wish they could employ serfs if not slaves vs. their current, paid with benefits work force? In their hearts and minds: A LOT!

[@2020Bookworm]

I've been told by 3 palm reading psychics that I was a female Russian peasant in the middle ages who was married at 12,had 2 kids , my husband and 2 kids died of the black plague, I then went to live in a place that helped black plague victims, I then died of this as well. and this has lead to chronic low grade depression.

[@gregorynetus5557]

Take that mr ropper.haha i love that threes company reference.one. of the best 📺 tv shows ever. I still watch that show everyday in nyc.word up son

[@michellegil1609]

Shout out to my ancestor for surviving as a serfs!

[@claireniemeyer127]

Those would have been my ancestors right there. Somewhere along the line we managed to upgrade to peasants lol

[@onelastyogurtproductions7190]

Love the little detail of playing surf rock at the beginning of the video

[@Big_E_Soul_Fragment]

HELP HELP, I'M BEING REPRESSED

[@Ucofatoffski]

COME AND SEE THE VIOLENCE INHERENT IN THE SYSTEM!

[@Beachbum3579]

Whose King are ya? Ya ain’t my king. Off with ya!

[@lauraflotron9707]

@@Beachbum3579 Call me Loretta!

[@75aces97]

Now you see the violence inherent in the system!

[@Jordan-pe7eh]

F in the chat for all those modern serfs (Theater Majors)

[@claytonmontanez2262]

If I had a parcel of land I’d grow hundreds of pounds of pot 🤣🤣🤣

[@sarahnixdorf1]

We're it me, I'd grow a Chipotle field. 🥰

[@antkiller98]

That feeling when a serf has 2-3 more weeks of sick days than you

[@pabrodi]

They did also only worked 150 days per year, as the majority of days were holidays.