Urban Life and the Seigneurial Framework

This final page delves deeper into medieval urban life and the structure of the seigneurie system.

Medieval cities were characterized by:

• Narrow streets and misaligned houses
• Central market squares surrounded by prominent buildings
• Division into parishes, each with its own church
• Suburbs (faubourgs) extending beyond the city walls

Highlight: From the 12th century onward, massive cathedrals became defining features of urban centers.

The seigneurie formed the basic unit of rural organization:

• Seigneuries belonged to either lay or ecclesiastical lords
• Peasants, both free and unfree, worked the land
• Land was divided into the lord's reserve and tenures rented to peasants

Definition: The ban was the lord's power of command over all peasants within his domain.

Lords held significant authority but also had responsibilities:

• They could dispense justice and punish peasants
• In return for protection, peasants owed various dues and services

Example: Peasants were obligated to use the lord's oven, press, and mill, paying fees known as banalities.

This complex system of rights and obligations defined l'ordre seigneurial and shaped medieval society for centuries.