Download Social - Serfs Serfs were common during the Medieval P

Ayesha Bakshi
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History / Period 4
Packet B
Theme 5: Social - Serfs
Serfs were common during the Medieval Period, especially in the feudal system
in Europe.. They worked for their lord on the lands that were a part of the feudal system.
The serfs were considered peasants and worked in manors. Feudalism gave the lord
rights over their serfs. Since the serfs would use their lord’s land, they would have to
pay dues to them. For example, when serfs had to use the their lord’s mill, since the mill
did not belong to them, the serfs would pay the tax. Serfs could pay their payments in
money or in items including: honey, eggs, grains, etc. In reality, the lords could ask the
lord for any amount in the taxes they had to pay to them, but the lords were not that
cruel, because they did not want their serfs to leave.
The serfs would work in the their lords for about two or three days in the week.
They would work on the land by ploughing and harvesting. All the daily duties of the
serfs depended on what type of chores their lords needs them to do. Serfs were actually
a level between slavery and freedom due some of the limitations of being one. There
were certain things the serf could not do without his lord. The type of clothes the serf
would wear would consist of blouses, trousers, boots, gloves, etc.
Balila, Joshua
Mr. Tavernia
Period 3
Packet D
Social: Serfs
Serfs are agricultural laborers bound by the feudalistic system to work the land
on his/her lord’s estate. Serfs occupied a small plot of land with which they needed to
grow crops for both themselves and the lord who owned the land. In this system of
serfdom, most of the harvest produced by the laborers went to the lord, while the rest of
the harvest was used to feed the laborer and his/her family. Serfs could also be forced
to work the mines, forest, or any other resource the lord needed, which was then sent to
the lord. There were also different kinds of serfs within the feudalistic system, which
(from highest to lowest ranking) were freemen, villeins, bordars, and slaves. Freemen
held few obligations to the lord and did not have to send most of their produce to the
lord. Villeins were the most common type of serf during Medieval times, and they had
small homes and held little to no land, but they were generally able to hold property.
Bordars were often given just enough food to feed their families, and lived in small
cottages on their lord’s land. Lastly, slaves worked exclusively for the lord, and held
minimal rights in the feudalistic system.
The decline of serfs and serfdom was often attributed to the Black Death, which
would likely have mostly affected the poor serfs working the lord’s land. Without this
essential piece of labor providing food for the lord, the lord would eventually not have
enough food to provide for his family and/or higher lords with whom he also owed
resources.
Ariann Barker
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History Period 4 Packet D
Social: Footbinding
Implemented in the Song dynasty, footbinding is a custom developed by the
Chinese in order to keep women’s feet from growing as they aged. At the time, it
was considered to be a measure of a woman’s elite ranking in the social system,
as only working women would need to be mobile. In addition to being a measure
of status, it was also somewhat of a Chinese beauty standard, as smaller feet on
a woman were seen as more attractive. In order to footbind, a woman would
have the bones of her feet broken at a very young age, causing them to grow
irregularly. This was inevitably damaging to the women’s feet and forcing them
into a life of immobility for the rest of their lives. Though the practice started for
only wealthy women, it quickly gained traction and soon most women of all social
statuses had their feet bound. This practice was fully outlawed in the 1900s.
Ariann Barker
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History Period 4 Packet D
Eric Bazail
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History 4
Packet D
Cultural: [Foot Binding]
A common practice in Song China, foot binding, otherwise known as lotus feet, involved
the bending of a woman’s toes underneath the sole using long ribbons. The practice was
designed to continue breaking the bones within the foot whenever the foot would grow, a painful
process that would take years. Girls often started from age four to age six, as they had ideal pain
tolerance and the ideal foot size for the ‘procedure,’ and ended up obtaining a hobbled, prodding
gait, similar to walking with hooves. This created strong hip, buttocks, and thigh muscles, a
byproduct of trying to maneuver effectively.
This practice was reserved for the elite, as it was a standard of beauty held with high
regard. Women with ‘large’ lotus feet were considered hideous and unmarriageable, regardless
of any aesthetic beauty they may have otherwise had. Designed to prevent women from walking,
as the Chinese mistakenly believed that walking would cause birthing muscles to deteriorate,
foot binding effectively limited women’s rights in China by providing them less opportunities to
contribute to the household. Thus, the practice never caught on heavily with the lower classes.
Jared Cohen
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History - P.4
Packet D
Social: Footbinding
Footbinding is a practice among women that was very
common in China. In summary, the girl's feet were tightly bound
to prevent growth.
The concept of foot binding began around the 10th or 11th
century when court dancers started the custom. In the Song
Dynasty, the concept became popular enough to spread across all
castes.
Footbinding was used to show the wealth of the family. The belief was that if the woman was
from a wealthy family, they did not need to work, thus allowing
them to have their feet bound. Over time, the concept of
footbinding was seen as a representation of beauty.
Throughout history, certain emperors tried to ban the
concept of food binding. Until the early 1900's foot binding was
extremely common. It finally became extinct after several
campaigns fought for the banning of foot binding.
Problems associated several health with footbinding. The most common problem was an infection.
The small shoes often led to ingrown nails, which would cause infections. In some cases, the toenails
can be completely taken out of the feet. In addition to constant infections, necrosis, or the death of
cells/tissues, was extremely common. The tight spaces the feet were in led to the lack of circulation in
the foot. This led to poor healing and, over time, rotting cells. The rotting sensation is caused by the
interference of bacteria and them eating the flesh.
The tightness of the footbinding can lead to toes following off and
broken bones. The toes falling off were common because of infection,
while the bones breaking were common because of the lack of
comfort placed on the feet and the pressure from standing and
moving.
One of 10 girls died from infections from footbinding.
Sydni Dichter
Tavernia
AP World History, Period 4
December 13, 2016
Social: Sati
Sati is a ritual
followed by upper-class
Hindu woman when
widowed. The widow
throws herself onto her
husband’s pyre to commit
honorable suicide. This is
continuation of the seixsm
and patriarchy that began
before time. When a man’s
wife dies, he is not expected to kill himself, but of course what is a woman without her man?
Luckily Ibn Battuta tried to make it clear that sati was an optional practice, but some more
traditional women
did it. Today committing
sati or forcing
someone to do sati is
illegal.
Ben Geller Mr. Tavernia AP World History P.4 Packet D Social: Serfs Being a serf is the status of peasant in the feudalism system. Serfs became prominent in the High Middle Ages in Europe. Serfs are essentially slaves in the middle ages. Serves started to work for specific people and had no choice but to work because of their dramatically low status of being a peasant. Also, the serfs may also have to work in the fields or wherever the person in charge decides they need to do for them. The only way for a serf to get out of his/her job is by rebelling, which has not worked well in history with the rich and poor rebelling. In the serfs point of view the rich have won way too many times to rebel. There are near to no net benefits on the side of the serfs. The serf does not have control of himself besides his natural rights as a human hitch are even sometimes exposed. This is not common, but this may happen often with consequence for not doing a sufficient job. The serfs fall under the social theme in this course because being a serf is literally a social status. Also, being a serf means you have several roles as playing their respective spot in the social hierarchy, which also links to the theme. Annita Huang
Mr. Tavernia
AP World/Period 4
Packet: D
Theme 5: Foot-binding
Foot-binding is when the feet are plunged into hot water and the toenails are clipped short
and then the feet were massaged and oiled before all the toes, except the big toes, were broken
and bound flat against the sole making it into a triangle shape. Next they would arch foot and
was bent twice and finally, the feet were bound in place using a silk strip measuring ten feet long
and two inches wide. The girls were forced to walk long distance to break the arch even more
and as time passes by the binding gets tighter and tighter. Foot- binding was socially forced. This
process is said to inspired by a dancer, Yao Niang, who bounded her feet into a shape of a new
moon. The dancer entranced the Emperor Li Yu by dancing on her toes inside a six-foot golden
lotus festooned with ribbons and precious stones. Gradually, court ladies start to pick this up and
took up foot-binding, making it a status symbol among the elites. The most desirable bride
possessed a three-inch foot known as the golden lotus. A four-inch was respectable and was
called the silver lotus but five inches or longer were considered low.
Laila Inan
Mr. Tavernia
PD Social
13 December 2016
Social: Footbinding
For around ten centuries, successive generations of Chinese women endured a practice
when, as children, their feet were broken and shaped. The tradition, known as foot
binding, eventually came to symbolize China's backwardness, a relic from the country's
distant past.The first recorded binding occurred in the Five Dynasties and Ten States
period in the 10th century. An emperor had a favorite concubine, a dancer who built a
gilded stage in the shape of a lotus flower. When she bound her feet into a hoof-like
shape and danced on the lotus, the practice became very fashionable; after all, she was
the emperor's favorite concubine and the other concubines attempted to imitate her in
order to gain the emperor's favor and love. So foot binding started with the royal court
and then spread throughout China, beginning in the south of the counrtry and soon
reaching the north. In the 12th century, foot binding had become much more
widespread, and by the early Qing Dynasty -in the mid-17th century-, every girl who
wished to marry had her feet bound. The only people who didn't bind their feet were the
very poor, such as the ethnic Hakka people, and women who worked in fishing because
they had needed to have normal feet in
order to balance themselves on boats.
Emily Irigoyen
Tavernia
AP World History/4
Packet D
Foot binding: Theme 5 (Social)
Footbinding is the practice of binding a woman’s foot which caused broken bones
and decreased mobility in women. This was to prevent the capability of women to
be mobile, since people believed that the more movement a woman makes the
more damaged her birthing organs would become. This is an example of an
eastern Asian continuation of a patriarchy as this affected women's rights.
Footbinding is usually seen in women of elite status in which women with smaller
feet are generally seen to be more “valuable” to men, since they will be better
birthers.
Social:Footbinding
Foot binding was the custom of binding the feet of young girls to prevent further growth.
The practice originated among upper-class court dancers during the Five Dynasties and
Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history, and soon became a symbol of status. Women
from wealthy families did not have to work on the fields or anything like that so they
didn’t rlly have to walk. It was subsequently adopted as a symbol of beauty in Chinese
culture. The Manchu Kangxi Emperor tried to ban foot binding in 1664 but failedThe
practice was opposed by learned Chinese reformers but these challenges were ignored
until the early 20th century.
Olivia Lloyd
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History/Period 4
Packet D
Social: Sati
Sati is the old Hindu custom of a widow throwing herself onto her husband’s
funeral pyre, or committing suicide in another manner after her husband’s death. The
term comes from the goddess, Sati, who could not bear it after her father humiliated her
husband, and so she killed herself. Although the Brahmins originally condemned the
practice, it grew to be common among all the castes. Suicide was banned by the Hindu
scripture, so sati was not considered suicide, but rather the highest form of womanly
devotion and insurance of her family’s well being for generations.
All of a widow’s
belongings reverted to her
family upon her death, so her
family and her husband’s
family might have pressured a
woman to commit sati so they
could obtain her possessions. It
was criticized by Islam,
Christianity, and even
Hinduism, and so it was
outlawed in 1827 by the governor of India. Proponents of sati claim it was voluntary in
most cases, although the woman could have been influenced by societal pressures, family
pressures, and in some instances, drugs. Despite its being outlawed, sati persisted in some
areas of India, though this barbaric practice has largely declined over time.
Footbinding
Footbinding was a custom practiced in China, where a woman’s feet would be
bound to the point that the bones in her foot would break. In going through this painful
process, a woman would not be able to walk or move around in general without the
help of others. The custom was practiced mostly among the elite women in China,
because the poorer families needed the women to help work in the rice fields. The
poorer women were needed for their working abilities, so they were spared from this
painful custom. The elite women in China would have their feet bound from a very
young age, usually starting between the ages of four and nine. The idea behind the
custom was that a wife that was unable to move was a good wife. This tradition
exercised the Confucian ideas of the five relationships in society. One of the
relationships said that the husband was above the wife, and the wife was supposed to
serve the husband. In breaking the bones of the women’s feet they were making the
women submit to the men and be less than the man in society. The other idea of the
footbinding was to show social status, because a woman who could afford to have her
mobility taken away meant that she had many servants and did not have to work
because of her wealth. Later footbinding became a sign of beauty and a woman strived
to have small feet. The size of foot that was considered beautiful was three Chinese
inches, which is about four inches in the American system of measurement. Foot
binding continued to be popular despite attempts to end it. Throughout the years since
footbinding was first implemented, many emperors have made attempts to end the
practice though edicts, however, the edicts were ignored in an attempt to be accepted
as beautiful in society. Finally in the beginning of the nineteenth century, foot binding
was banned and continues to be banned in the Republic of China, however, the ban is
not forcefully enforced, and footbinding occasionally continues to occur.
Samantha Ross
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P.4
Packet: D
Social: Sati
The role of a women was always to provide for her husband. When the husband
died, the women were thought to serve no purpose in the world anymore. This is the
reason for the practice of sati. This Hindu practice was when a recently widowed
woman either by force or voluntarily commits suicide as a result of her husband’s death.
The women would burn to death on her husband’s funeral pyre. Through her
self-sacrifice, the widow would remain pure and through this, she illustrated her
devotion to her husband. The practice of sati was found at every social level and in
many castes. It existed for both non-educated women and educated women of the elite
class.
Kaitlyn Seese
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History P.4
Packet: D
Footbinding and Sati
Footbinding, which occurred in ancient China, is the practice of binding women’s feet
which caused broken bones and decreased mobility in women. The practice of binding a
woman’s foot began as early as childhood. This was usually seen in women of elite status in
which women with smaller feet were generally seen as more valuable to men. The whole idea
behind footbinding was that walking interfered with women’s ability to give birth (a woman’s
main obligation), so taking away the ability to walk would solve that issue. Sati was an ancient
practice of upper Hindu class widows in which the widow would throw herself on her husband’s
funeral pyre. This practice was approved by social customs and continued until Ibn Battuta made
it clear that this practice was optional rather than a mandatory obligation. Afterwards, the
practice began to slowly die out.
Sydney Stewart
Mr Tavernia
AP World History/Period 4
Packet D
Social: Serfs
Serfdom is the status of peasants under feudalism, relating to manorialism. Serfs who occupy a
plot of land were required to work the land for the lord who owned it and were given protection
and the right to use land on the manor to feed themselves in turn. Serfs were also required not
only to work on the fields but also in his mines, forests and roads. Serfdom formed the basic unit
of medieval society and serfs were bound legally by taxation and socially to the lord. Serfs were
the lowest class of people in feudal societies and made up two percent of England. Serfdom
declined due to Black Death in Western Europe and grew in Central and Eastern Europe after the
renaissance. In Eastern Europe serfdom persisted until the mid-1800’s.
Serfs has a specific role in society: in return for protection, a serf would live and work on a
parcel of land within the manor of the Lord. A freeman became a serf usually through force or
necessity.
Noah Teixeira
Mr.Tavernia
AP World History Period 4
Packet D
Social: Foot binding
​Foot binding was the custom of applying painfully tight binding to the
feet of young girls to prevent further growth. The practice possibly
originated among upper-class court dancers during the Five Dynasties and
Ten Kingdoms period in Imperial China, then became popular during the
Song dynasty and eventually spread to all social classes. Foot binding
became popular as a means of displaying status (women from wealthy
families, who did not need their feet to work, could afford to have them
bound) and was correspondingly adopted as a symbol of beauty in Chinese
culture. Its prevalence and practice however varied in different parts of the
country. Feet altered by binding were called lotus feet.
Kathryn Treacy
Mr. Tavernia
AP World History, Period 4
Packet D: Medieval Civilizations
Development and Transformation of Social Structures:
Footbinding
Footbinding is the practice of binding women’s feet which caused broken
bones and decreased mobility in women. Usually seen in women of elite status in
which women with smaller feet are generally seen to be more “valuable” to men.
Women from wealthy families, who did not need their feet to work, could afford to
have them bound. This practice started in the 19th century, toward the end of the
Qing Dynasty, Western countries effectively colonized China and many Western
people began to move to the country. This coincided with the height of foot binding,
when the practice was most prevalent. In 1911, this practice was officially banned in
China, however, the effect it had socially was virtually irreversible.