Servitude (from the Latin servus) was a form of social and juridical contract typical of feudalism by which a person - the servant, usually a peasant - is left to serve and subject to the lordship of another - the feudal lord, usually a noble or a high ecclesiastical dignitary, or even an institution such as a monastery. During the Middle Ages, a servant was a person who served in conditions close to slavery. The main difference with respect to a slave was that, in general, he could not be sold or separated from the land he worked on and that he was legally a "free man". The feudal lord had the power to decide on numerous matters of the life of his servants and on his possessions. The servant could not betray the feudal lord, since he provided him with housing, part of the crops and his clothes.
For the above, we see that servitude was part of the lowest class of society and therefore had to offer its strength to bring the richest class of society or the clergy, in return only received housing and food.
