In the European feudal social structure, the members of the lower classes primarily included merchants, artisans, peasants, and serfs.
- Peasants: Generally worked the land and were the backbone of the agrarian economy. They were often free men but could also be bound to the land.
- Serfs: A specific type of peasant who was not free; they were bound to a lord's land and owed labor and service in exchange for protection and the right to work a portion of the land for their own sustenance.
- Artisans: Skilled workers who produced goods, often living in towns and part of the emerging middle class.
- Merchants: Those who traded and sold goods, forming another important but often lower socioeconomic class compared to the noble class.
Overall, this group formed the foundation of the medieval economy and society, in contrast to the higher classes such as kings, queens, lords, and knights.
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