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  • I did low effort gpt 😉

    The claim that medieval peasants worked only 150 days a year and had many holidays off is partially true but oversimplified. The reality is more complex and depends on time period, location, and economic conditions. Here's a breakdown of the historical evidence:

    1. Medieval Work Schedules & Holidays

    Church Holidays: The Catholic Church mandated numerous feast days (e.g., Christmas, Easter, saints’ days) when labor was restricted. Estimates suggest 80–100 holidays per year in some places, but enforcement varied.

    Sunday Rest: Work was generally prohibited on Sundays, adding about 52 non-working days.

    Seasonal Workload: Agricultural work was highly seasonal. Planting and harvest times were extremely labor-intensive, while winter months involved less fieldwork but still required tasks like repairing tools, feeding animals, and processing food.

    1. The 150-Day Work Year Claim

    Some economic historians estimate that medieval peasants worked fewer days annually than modern industrial workers. However, 150 days seems too low, as it assumes every feast day and Sunday was fully work-free, which was not always the case.

    Many peasants supplemented their farming with additional work (e.g., weaving, milling, carpentry) during "off" periods.

    1. Hardships & Work Conditions

    While feast days provided breaks, peasant life was physically demanding. Workdays could be long (often from sunrise to sunset).

    Hunger, disease, and social obligations (such as corvée labor—unpaid work for the lord) made life challenging.

    Despite rest periods, subsistence farming meant that food shortages and unpredictable weather could quickly lead to hardship.

    Conclusion

    The idea that medieval peasants had an easy work schedule with extensive holidays is partly true in the sense that they had more frequent breaks than modern 9-to-5 workers. However, their work was far more physically demanding, they faced food insecurity, and their "off days" didn't always mean leisure. The claim of a 150-day work year is likely exaggerated but does reflect the fact that medieval societies structured work differently from modern capitalism.

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