The rulers
In most European countries kings and queens ruled the people. Next to the king stood the lords, who were great men and owned acres and acres of land. They had their own soldiers and many servants to do their work and to wait on them.
From an early 14th century psalter
SERFS OF THE MIDDLE AGES
The serfs
Below the lords, who spent their time in war, in the chase, and in going to see play-battles, called mock-fights, were the common people. In some countries these people were not free, as you are, but lived in huts in small villages on the great man's land. They had to work on his land, and were only a little better off than slaves. These people were called serfs.
In the few large cities there lived at that time rich merchants who traded in slaves, or went on long journeys to buy and sell their wares. In the cities, too, lived workers in wool, cotton, brass, iron, wood, and other materials. After a time the workers of a given class gathered into a sort of union called a guild, to protect themselves.
The roots of our civilization