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In medieval times, about 90% of the population lived in villages, most of whom were engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Although peasants were free and had owned their farms from time immemorial, the land beneath them was only leased from the sovereign or, respectively, from the nobleman who had received it as a fief from the king. For the lease of the land, they had to pay part of their annual yields – whether in money, honey, grain, or other crops.
Sometimes they were also required to perform corvée labour for the lord, that is, to work without pay on the fields belonging to the feudal noble.
The Land Diets in the 15th and 16th centuries voted that the village folk were not allowed to carry weapons or practice hunting. With the special permission of the lord, the peasants were allowed to hunt hares or small birds.
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