First, the timespan and vast differences of local laws makes this generalisation pointless.
Second, for anyone who was a serf or landless or didn’t had enough land to feed himself and his family it’s right out of the bat, they worked dawn till dusk nearly entire year, there was always something more to do. People today working multiple jobs just to survive and still being crushed by debt can relate.
Third, even if we look at this meme in the most generous way possible, that is portraying free wealthy peasants (which were usually a minority), 150 days a year are only typical field work. Outside of that they still need to do after field works (for example threshing and cleaning grain was taking months each year), tend to animals, produce nearly every tool, item and cloth they use in house and field, and so on and on and on. And while some of the big holidays like Easter were free of work, 90% of those “church holidays” didn’t mean “free of work”, most of them meant literally nothing but a way for illiterate peasants to mark the passage of time, for example they didn’t say “15 november”, they said “4 days after St Martin” (it worked precisely because there were so many holidays in calendar).
So no, unless you’re really fucked to work 14+ hour workdays for 6/7 days per week with just a few red days in calendar and no paid vacation you do not have less holidays than a medieval peasant.
And last disclaimer, this don’t even mean that capitalism good, though it did bring an improvement in many times and places, but it’s that we shouldn’t try to romanticise other bad times.
Thank you, I’m tired of this people thinking this is true. I believe it was 150 days of working their lord’s lands, the rest was working on the land they were allowed to live on to sustain themselves through winter.
Again it depends on the time and place and laws, for example early medieval peasants in Poland worked for their lords around 10-20 days per year, which increased to 100-150 in late medieval (king peasants usually had it better than church peasants and private noble peasants had worst), but XVIII century serfs were worked to the bone to the levels that foreign noble travellers were shocked with the inhuman treatment serfs recieved.
For added detail, vegetation season in Europe is around 180-220 days, not to mention tyranny of weather knows no compromise, so there were cases where peasants literally died because they were forced to work for their lord and missed for example optimal sowing season.
There is a big difference between doing work that only increases the profits of the rich and further alienates you and your community and making a new sweater because you want one.
Sure they did more tasks, but it’s not like we don’t do chores all day outside of work and on holidays.
They did 150 days of labour for the wealthy and we do 200. Then they do chores from when they wake until they sleep most days and so do we. I’d rather do more chores for myself and less work for my boss thank you very much
There is a big difference between doing work that only increases the profits of the rich and further alienates you and your community and making a new sweater because you want one.
I think if those peasants heard that, they would introduce you to the working end of some farming tools for suggesting their hard struggle against hunger and cold is “new sweater because you want one”, which is absolute disgusting reductionism.
Sure they did more tasks, but it’s not like we don’t do chores all day outside of work and on holidays.
Yeah we do, still way less than they did labour necessary to maintain their homes.
Then they do chores from when they wake until they sleep most days and so do we. I’d rather do more chores for myself and less work for my boss thank you very much
Again nice reduction of their heavy toil for “chores”, you would absolutely shit yourself and died if you had to live like them, especially the literal slave serfs.
This is not true.
First, the timespan and vast differences of local laws makes this generalisation pointless.
Second, for anyone who was a serf or landless or didn’t had enough land to feed himself and his family it’s right out of the bat, they worked dawn till dusk nearly entire year, there was always something more to do. People today working multiple jobs just to survive and still being crushed by debt can relate.
Third, even if we look at this meme in the most generous way possible, that is portraying free wealthy peasants (which were usually a minority), 150 days a year are only typical field work. Outside of that they still need to do after field works (for example threshing and cleaning grain was taking months each year), tend to animals, produce nearly every tool, item and cloth they use in house and field, and so on and on and on. And while some of the big holidays like Easter were free of work, 90% of those “church holidays” didn’t mean “free of work”, most of them meant literally nothing but a way for illiterate peasants to mark the passage of time, for example they didn’t say “15 november”, they said “4 days after St Martin” (it worked precisely because there were so many holidays in calendar).
So no, unless you’re really fucked to work 14+ hour workdays for 6/7 days per week with just a few red days in calendar and no paid vacation you do not have less holidays than a medieval peasant.
And last disclaimer, this don’t even mean that capitalism good, though it did bring an improvement in many times and places, but it’s that we shouldn’t try to romanticise other bad times.
We should move forward to socialism.
Thank you, I’m tired of this people thinking this is true. I believe it was 150 days of working their lord’s lands, the rest was working on the land they were allowed to live on to sustain themselves through winter.
Again it depends on the time and place and laws, for example early medieval peasants in Poland worked for their lords around 10-20 days per year, which increased to 100-150 in late medieval (king peasants usually had it better than church peasants and private noble peasants had worst), but XVIII century serfs were worked to the bone to the levels that foreign noble travellers were shocked with the inhuman treatment serfs recieved.
For added detail, vegetation season in Europe is around 180-220 days, not to mention tyranny of weather knows no compromise, so there were cases where peasants literally died because they were forced to work for their lord and missed for example optimal sowing season.
There is a big difference between doing work that only increases the profits of the rich and further alienates you and your community and making a new sweater because you want one.
Sure they did more tasks, but it’s not like we don’t do chores all day outside of work and on holidays.
They did 150 days of labour for the wealthy and we do 200. Then they do chores from when they wake until they sleep most days and so do we. I’d rather do more chores for myself and less work for my boss thank you very much
I think if those peasants heard that, they would introduce you to the working end of some farming tools for suggesting their hard struggle against hunger and cold is “new sweater because you want one”, which is absolute disgusting reductionism.
Yeah we do, still way less than they did labour necessary to maintain their homes.
Again nice reduction of their heavy toil for “chores”, you would absolutely shit yourself and died if you had to live like them, especially the literal slave serfs.
Do you have proof? Also let me guess, they planted bananatrees in the winter?
Sources for the OP would be good as well.
Proof for what? Vegetation season being shorter than entire year in Europe?
Seems you agree they didn’t, so why the hostility