Brother Feng
preface
In late medieval England, "domestic servants" were a common phenomenon.
According to statistics, the proportion of servants in Western Europe in the pre-industrial period reached 7%-15%. In the centuries before the Industrial Revolution, at least one-third of households in Britain had domestic servants, and one-quarter of rural households employed domestic workers. The question of domestic servants in the Middle Ages belongs to the category of bottom-up history.
Looking at the research status of academic circles at home and abroad, there are many research results on this issue in foreign academic circles. In recent years, some achievements have been made in the research on this issue in the domestic academic circles. However, there is still a great deal of room for research on the question of aristocratic domestic servants in late medieval England. There is little discussion on the identity of domestic servants and the origin of noble domestic servants, and the research on the relationship between master and servant is not comprehensive and specific.
In view of this, this paper intends to further study the problem of aristocratic servants in late medieval England.
1. The evolution of the status of domestic servants in medieval England
The definition of a "domestic servant" was the subject of a controversy in the 17th century, but the controversy did not reach an agreement. The reason for this phenomenon is that the connotation of the status of domestic servants in medieval England was not static, but went through a long process of flux.
Domestic servants were originally converted from slaves. Looking at the etymology, we know that "serve" means "slave". In the book Life and Labor in Medieval Europe, the state of slavery in Europe after the barbarian invasion is documented. In the three centuries following the first barbarian invasion, slavery, which had been nearly eliminated at the end of the Roman Empire, was revived and spread rapidly.
In places like Britain, most of the Roman inhabitants pardoned by the conquerors became slaves.
"The domestic servants of the nobility were supplemented in the same way". Zipola also notes that "in the eleventh century, the status of domestic servants in most parts of Europe was still legally classified as slaves...... held out for a long time in some areas, especially in England".
Liu Xincheng, a domestic scholar, believes that "the phenomenon of domestic servants in Western Europe has a long history, and it is a relic of 'domestic slavery' in ancient Rome." From this, it can be inferred that domestic servants in medieval England were originally slaves.
According to statistics, in the 10 years following the decree of 1351, nearly 9,000 cases of violations of labor laws were tried in the King's Throne Court alone.
Some scholars believe that the large number of people who violated the law reflects that the law was not well followed. There are also many scholars who believe that labor laws have a certain deterrent effect, and there are more restrictions on hired workers and servants.
To sum up, the predecessor of the domestic servant was a slave, and later gradually evolved into a free person who was hired to provide labor for the family and was provided with food, lodging and remuneration in the family. But whether they are slaves or freedmen, domestic servants are subject to more restricted status.
2. Classification and origin of aristocratic domestic servants
In late medieval England, domestic servants were common. However, the number of domestic servants employed by ordinary families is generally small, unlike the large number of servants in aristocratic families.
The powerful Bishop of Wolsey had "thousands of servants, and his homestead was more magnificent than the palace." "In the hall of the Earl of Northumbrand in 1521 there were 20 servants on duty in the morning, 18 in the afternoon, and at least 30 in the evening. ”
Therefore, it was a very common phenomenon for aristocratic families to hire domestic servants in late medieval England.
1. Classification of aristocratic domestic servants
According to Kate Metters in her book "The English Aristocratic Family 1250-1600", according to the division of labor of domestic servants, we can divide domestic servants into six categories:
1. Financial servants serving real estate and finance, including housekeepers, chief cashiers, auditors, treasurers, clothing officers, etc. Among them, the steward has a great responsibility, "in each manor, the specific person in charge is the steward, who manages the income and expenditure of the manor for the lord, repairs the house and warehouse, maintains and adds agricultural tools, stores and sells agricultural products, and prepares the lord's daily necessities and food. In large territories, one steward is often in charge of several estates at the same time."
2. Prepare domestic servants who serve in the production and supply of materials, including cooks, kitchen clerks, bakers, butchers, food clerks, kitchen gentlemen, kitchen yomans, washers, cellar masters, etc.
John Melscher Sr. and John Melscher Jr. served in the home of John Howard, Duke of Norfolk, for more than a decade, one in the kitchen and the other in the pantry.
3. Serving domestic servants engaged in public family services, including master of ceremonies, ushers, caterers, sommeliers, meatiers, potters, winemakers, etc.
In the 15th century, John Russell served as Master of Ceremonies to Duke Hafrey, "a trusted, able, and cultured servant."
4. Private domestic servants who provide private sexual services for the owner and his family, including internal affairs officers, domestic servants, maids, etc.
Chaucer held office in many households, first in the home of Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster, and her husband, Lionel, Duke of Clarence, and later as a chamberlain at the court of Edward III.
It is worth noting that in a large family, the number of maids is not very large, and they generally play the most humble roles.
Servants of a large family could theoretically serve as private armies, and men had a clear advantage in the need to protect their personal safety. Many early family manuals also advised against employing women, as "hiring them often meant distracting men."
5. Leisure servants who serve for parades, hunting, and entertainment include horsemen, packers, coachmen, dog masters, eagle masters, entertainers, burlesques, haiyou, musical instrument players, etc.
6. In the 80s of the 16th century, the folk artist Tarleton was one of the most popular burlesques under Queen Elizabeth. The nobility of the Middle Ages had to move frequently to tour their territory, and hunting was also part of aristocratic life, so the people in charge of horses, dogs, and eagles often required a high degree of skill.
7. Religious domestic servants who serve in family religious activities, including family pastors, clergy, singers, etc.
2. The source of noble domestic servants
The domestic servants of the nobility are not only large in number and have a clear division of labor, but also have a wide range of domestic servants, ranging from noble to lowly people, the first type is the young children of other nobles who serve as domestic servants in the noble family.
The "squire system" was very popular in medieval England, and at the age of seven, the children of nobles had to go out to work as squires in other nobles' homes. These young men from aristocratic families went to serve as attendants in other noble families for a specified period of time, just as they were Xi in a school, and they often followed in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers and went to the same family for education.
The second category is that other nobles work as domestic servants in the nobles' homes.
George Cavendish was a gentleman's usherin to the family of the Archbishop of Wolsey, and in his biography of Wolsey, he wrote: "Wolsey was in the service of many nobles and prominent families...... In his own room, there was a retinue, including the Earl of Derby. Sir John Compton also served as an attendant at Henry VIII's side, and his main duty was to serve the king in the toilet. Climbing to the great nobles and even the king, often accompanying the king's side, is naturally to seek benefits and obtain property and status.
The third category is domestic servants who rely on family ties and introductions, or who are inherited by the master's spouse or relatives. Servants may often come from the same family, generation after generation.
The fourth type of domestic servant is often a domestic servant from a place where the noble family has their main residence or property. They remained in the homes of the nobility and, in some cases, rose through positions, and these domestic servants were usually of a lower status.
The fifth category is domestic servants hired on a temporary basis.
During the parade of the nobility, "the principal servants accompanied the master and the lady on their journeys, and many temporary servants were hired from the localities, such as grooms, hunters, kitchen boys, and stable caretakers."
3. The relationship between master and servant of aristocratic families
From the above discussion, it can be seen that the domestic servants of the English aristocracy in the late Middle Ages worked as "free men" for their masters. In terms of legal relations, the relationship between master and servant is one of employment and employment.
However, in real life, their relationship is much more complex, a mixture of multiple relationships such as service, hierarchy, opposition, dependence, intimacy, etc., which are analyzed as follows:
1. Service Relationship
Referring to the work of Kate Metters, we have divided domestic servants into six categories: financial, prepared, service, private, leisure, and religious servants.
Domestic servants are hired to serve their masters, and their every move revolves around the daily life of their masters. Each domestic servant is like a cog that plays his or her own role in the family, fulfills his own tasks, and "the activities that the members of the lord's family engage in in the home are indispensable for the good functioning of the family", and of course, the work of the domestic servant is very hard. They wake up before their master gets up to get ready for work, and the day's work is not over until the master rests.
2. Hierarchical relationship
Late medieval England was a hierarchical society, and this hierarchical difference was reflected in many aspects. First, hierarchical relations arise within the group of "servants". The internal hierarchy of noble servants is generally divided into 6 levels:
The first level is the main office of domestic servants, which generally includes stewards, treasurers, auditors, family pastors, etc. The second layer is the deputy officials, including the master of ceremonies, the Sima official, the internal affairs officer, the head chef, etc.
The third layer consisted of gentlemanly servants, who were mainly engaged in more respectable work.
The fourth level is the Yoman servants, who generally have skills and perform specific jobs. The fifth level is the groom, who are of low origin, the lowest class of adult domestic servants, and perform lowly jobs. The sixth layer is the small servant, generally a minor, born in a lowly family, often as an assistant to the groom, engaged in lowly work with appropriate labor intensity.
3. Antagonism
Hierarchical relations naturally give rise to antagonism between master and servant. The master will complain that the servant is incompetent, lazy, cunning, and domineering. A young and beautiful maid, too frivolous in the eyes of the hostess; And the "old virgin" who replaced them was too ugly in the eyes of the male host. If the servants were able to write letters, they would also accuse their masters of being cold, stingy, lustful, and many other Xi.
4. Dependencies
The dependence between master and servant is not one-way, but rather interdependent. From the perspective of the master's dependence on the servant, first of all, the master depends on the servant for food, clothing, shelter and transportation.
5. Intimacy
In the Middle Ages, domestic servants existed as aristocratic families, and there were four types of people: first, the nobles' own families; second, relatives and sojourners of the nobility and children born out of wedlock; the third is the civil and military vassalage of the nobility; The fourth is the servants and retinues of the nobles, and these four parts are considered to be the families of the nobles.
As a result of the long-term close relationship between the master and the servant, an intimate relationship will arise, and the master will trust him to entrust some important matters to the servant.
However, this intimate relationship between master and servant can also give birth to some evil deeds and become a breeding ground for indecent love. Many maids will be brutally murdered by the male host, and will inevitably serve as a tool to vent their desires.
epilogue
In conclusion, the relationship between master and servant in late medieval English aristocratic families was interdependent. The servant serves his master with all his heart and soul, adding to his glory in exchange for food, lodging, knowledge, skills, etc. The master is also dependent on the servant in all aspects of life, security, etc.
To sum up, the domestic servants of medieval English aristocratic families were formerly slaves, and later gradually evolved into free men who were hired to provide labor for the family and were provided with food, lodging and remuneration in the family. But whether they are slaves or freedmen, domestic servants are subject to more restricted status. The division of labor and sources of domestic servants in aristocratic families were varied.
In terms of legal relations, the relationship between master and servant is one of employment and employment, but in practice, the master and servant are a mixture of multiple relationships such as service, hierarchy, antagonism, dependence, and intimacy.
The aristocratic families of late medieval England were like large machines, which needed a large number of servants to run them well. The duties of domestic servants are not only to provide daily food for the master and take care of the master's daily life, they are also a symbol of the master's power status.
"The English rural way of life supported by servants determined the image of the English nation in previous centuries. By the end of the 20th century, however, this way of life had all but disappeared. ”
To this day, however, there are still remnants of "domestic servants" in Britain, and dozens of servants can be seen lining up in the driveway of Chartersworth Houseland in 2004 when Andrew Cavendis, the 11th Duke of Devonshire, passed away in 2004.
But these "domestic servants" no longer have a clear hierarchy from their masters, as they did in the Middle Ages.
The study of the domestic servant class can provide a glimpse into the life of the British aristocracy and the associated miniature of the times, and play the role of "glimpsing the whole picture".