In English, ‘villain’ means a criminal. This
word is derived from the older word ‘villein’ which originally meant a worker
on the land and has a history going back to the Roman villa. In the Middle
Ages, villeins were bound by law to their land and their lord and had to
perform various low-status jobs, such as working in their lord’s fields.
Villeins came to resent these ‘dues’ particularly as the lord was often lax
when it came to his side of the bargain (such as protection).
"Harrowing" from the Luttrell Psalter.
Worse, in popular beliefs of the time,
villeins were seen as low, crude creatures. In art they were deliberately
depicted as ugly, because of their low status. Hence the rather unflattering
portraits in the margins of ms such as the Luttrell Psalter. (This has meant
that in modern French ‘vilain’ means ‘ugly’.)
In one of the most famous books of the Medieval Ages, Les Tres Riches Heures, made for the Duke De Berry, one artist showed workers in the fields and drew them with great grace and delicacy.(Archaeology supports this, although women in the middle ages were often under-weight and so less than fertile, since in a peasant household the food had to go first to the plough-man and other heavy labourers.)
The drawing to the left shows June hay-making and is from
In contrast, the artist who depicts the traditional November scene of the swine-herd taking pigs 
into the forest to fatten up has shown the peasants as rather crude - a reversion to 'type.'
Again, this picture is taken from Les Tres Riches Heures.
The so-called lower orders were seen as having no
entitlements. ‘Villeins ye are, and villeins ye shall remain,’ replied King
Richard II after the brutal suppression of the Peasants’ Revolt in England in
1381. The church taught that a villein not doing his lord’s work was not only
liable to be fined, but could also expect to go to hell. In church teaching of the time, there were three orders of mankind - those who fought (knights and nobles) those who prayed (the church) and those who worked (peasants and everyone else.) Guess which class was at the base of this pyramid?
Worse, villein women were
vulnerable to rape and sexual exploitation by their ‘betters’ and no one
complained. Andreas Capellanus, writing in the twelfth century, suggested to
any knight seeking to embrace a peasant woman that he should ‘not hesitate to
take what you seek and to embrace her by force’.
In verse as well as art the villein was
depicted as crude, vulgar, stupid and sulky. Court records of the Middle Ages
show villeins being fined for not turning up for work on their lord’s land. Any
requested for better treatment was regard as the ‘malice’ of servants. ‘What
should a serf do but serve?’ asked a monk. One belief of the time was that
villeins were descended from Cain, the first murderer.
So perhaps it is not surprising that 'villain'
has come to mean a person of evil deeds!
I explore the sometimes less than chivalrous attitudes of knights to peasants in my stories at Prairie Rose Publications, which you can find here.
Also in my forthcoming Anthology collection, "A Knight's Choice and Other Romances," I show how some medieval knights showed brutal behaviour to those less fortunate than themsleves.
Available from Prairie Rose Publications and free to read with Kindle Unlimited.
A Knight's Choice and Other Romances
Six wonderfully sweet medieval short romances in a single anthology. Perfect feel-good reading!
A Knight’s Choice—Morwenna must marry to satisfy her family’s ambitions. Her choice is one of two brothers, but which?
Midsummer Maid—The romance and magic of Midsummer works for everyone—including a beautiful dairymaid and a less-than-handsome woodsman.
The Philosopher and the Herbalist—A light-hearted Not-Beauty and Not-Beast tale, with a romantic twist.
The Bridal House—Alis is reluctant to marry. Her betrothed presents her a beautiful bridal house that might help her see matters in a happier light.
The Seal of Odin—A dark tale of romance set during the age of the Vikings and early Christianity. Sometimes, love is found where we least expect it.
Ugly Meg—Once pretty, now scarred, Meg lives and works in seclusion in Bath—but other jealous guild members are plotting against her. Will fellow carpenter Matthew Warden come to her aid? If so, what will be his price?
Available from Prairie Rose Publications for pre-order, and free to read with Kindle Unlimited.
Also on Amazon com
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
This collection also includes details and an excerpt from my Prairie Rose Publications Romance Novel, Dark Maiden.
I hope you enjoy these!
Lindsay Townsend
In English, ‘villain’ means a criminal. This word is derived from the older word ‘villein’ which originally meant a worker on the land and has a history going back to the Roman villa. In the Middle Ages, villeins were bound by law to their land and their lord and had to perform various low-status jobs, such as working in their lord’s fields. Villeins came to resent these ‘dues’ particularly as the lord was often lax when it came to his side of the bargain (such as protection).
 |
| "Harrowing" from the Luttrell Psalter. |
Worse, in popular beliefs of the time,
villeins were seen as low, crude creatures. In art they were deliberately
depicted as ugly, because of their low status. Hence the rather unflattering
portraits in the margins of ms such as the Luttrell Psalter. (This has meant
that in modern French ‘vilain’ means ‘ugly’.)
In one of the most famous books of the Medieval Ages, Les Tres Riches Heures, made for the Duke De Berry, one artist showed workers in the fields and drew them with great grace and delicacy.(Archaeology supports this, although women in the middle ages were often under-weight and so less than fertile, since in a peasant household the food had to go first to the plough-man and other heavy labourers.)
The drawing to the left shows June hay-making and is from
In contrast, the artist who depicts the traditional November scene of the swine-herd taking pigs
into the forest to fatten up has shown the peasants as rather crude - a reversion to 'type.'
The so-called lower orders were seen as having no entitlements. ‘Villeins ye are, and villeins ye shall remain,’ replied King Richard II after the brutal suppression of the Peasants’ Revolt in England in 1381. The church taught that a villein not doing his lord’s work was not only liable to be fined, but could also expect to go to hell. In church teaching of the time, there were three orders of mankind - those who fought (knights and nobles) those who prayed (the church) and those who worked (peasants and everyone else.) Guess which class was at the base of this pyramid?
Also in my forthcoming Anthology collection, "A Knight's Choice and Other Romances," I show how some medieval knights showed brutal behaviour to those less fortunate than themsleves.
Available from Prairie Rose Publications and free to read with Kindle Unlimited.
A Knight's Choice and Other Romances
Six wonderfully sweet medieval short romances in a single anthology. Perfect feel-good reading!
A Knight’s Choice—Morwenna must marry to satisfy her family’s ambitions. Her choice is one of two brothers, but which?
Midsummer Maid—The romance and magic of Midsummer works for everyone—including a beautiful dairymaid and a less-than-handsome woodsman.
The Philosopher and the Herbalist—A light-hearted Not-Beauty and Not-Beast tale, with a romantic twist.
The Bridal House—Alis is reluctant to marry. Her betrothed presents her a beautiful bridal house that might help her see matters in a happier light.
The Seal of Odin—A dark tale of romance set during the age of the Vikings and early Christianity. Sometimes, love is found where we least expect it.
Ugly Meg—Once pretty, now scarred, Meg lives and works in seclusion in Bath—but other jealous guild members are plotting against her. Will fellow carpenter Matthew Warden come to her aid? If so, what will be his price?
Available from Prairie Rose Publications for pre-order, and free to read with Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon UK
Amazon Canada
This collection also includes details and an excerpt from my Prairie Rose Publications Romance Novel, Dark Maiden.
I hope you enjoy these!
Lindsay Townsend
I loved the new book. Such a variety and wealth of characters. Doris
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Doris!
ReplyDeleteAlso, great post. Loved the info. Doris
DeleteInteresting information and context. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Doris. Thanks, Ann. I must admit I always wondered why the people in the Luttrell Manuscript were so unsmiling and harsh, so learning of the artistic convention explained a great deal.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting, Lindsay. It's funny how 'chivalry' wasn't really that chivalrous when we look at the reality.
ReplyDeleteGosh, lots of ways to look at ancient folks! Aren't we glad we're a little more enlightened now . . . or are we? Interesting reading!
ReplyDeleteSo interesting, Lindsay! I enjoyed every single one of your stories in A KNIGHT'S CHOICE AND OTHER ROMANCES. You always do such a great job of bringing your characters to life!
ReplyDeleteThe origin of words and phrases is fascinating to research, especially when we discover how the spelling and/or meaning has changed as societal use of those words changed.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jodi and C.A. Ashbury and I agree with you! Sometimes chivalry was the last thing the knights were interested in. Many thanks, Cheryl, and much appreciated, always look forward to your insight and support. I agree about the origin of words, Kaye. I also like to look at the meaning of names and, if I can, I work those into my stories.
ReplyDeleteThere was such suffering for the lower classes and seemingly no way out. What a horrid thing to be at the mercy of a landlord. This was such an interesting account of what life was like for many before the Magna Carta was signed.
ReplyDeleteI found it astonishing that some believed serfs were descendants of Cain.
I have always enjoyed reading your stories, Lindsay. All the best to you
Many thanks, Sarah! I agree, the sufferings of the so-called lower orders could be massive, and often the church authorities could be part of it. At time the medieval church could provide comfort and support but at others they could be the most ruthless of landlords. The Black Death gave chances to the survivors, as labour was in shorter supply and so wages had to rise. Often, a clue can be found in the laws passed - the laws trying to regulate what 'class' of people could wear what shows that people tried to wear what they liked and never mind their status.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, full of interesting info. Who knew "villein" went back as far as the Roman occupation? Words have a long history.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda!Words do have a long history.
ReplyDelete