What is the best description of the manorial system's social structure?

• A. Peasants tied to the land through rents and labor obligations; lords control estates.
• B. Free peasants moved between estates with no obligations.
• C. A system of centralized tax collection by kings.
• D. A guild-based urban craft economy.

Answer: (B)

Manorialism centers on peasants being bound to the land within a lord’s estate, owed labor and rents in exchange for protection and the right to use the demesne. The manor is the basic unit of rural life, with serfs or villeins providing a portion of their labor or paying dues, while the lord exercises control over the land and local justice. This creates a stable, hierarchical social structure in which mobility is limited and obligations are inherited through the manor system.

The description that emphasizes free movement between estates with no obligations doesn’t fit the typical manor arrangement, where obligations tie peasants to the land. The other options describe state-level taxes or urban guild economies, which pertain to different spheres of medieval society rather than the rural, land-based social structure of manorialism.