Ordinance of Labors · Medieval Labor’s Role in Feudalism’s Decline

Ordinance of Labors

Medieval illustration of men harvesting wheat with sickles under threat of a magistrate. Originally in the Queen Mary's Psalter (Ms. Royal 2. B. VII)

The trends of urbanization represent financial opportunity in city centers. As the labor class became increasingly scarce the demand didn’t decrease at the same rate. This trend can best be understood by the Ordinance of Laborers, written by King Edward the III of England in 1349. The opportunity was recognized by the peasant class, “many seeing the necessity of masters, and great scarcity of servants, will not serve unless they may receive excessive wages”. King Edward demanded that “that no man pay, or promise to pay, any servant any more wages… than was wont” (Beebe, 1915). He attempted to draw a line in the sand and decrease the agency that the peasant class had gained. While the effort was made in vain, the labor class agency tore away at the power held by the knights, nobles, and kings of the feudal system. This along with the decrease in rural farm laborers is the one of the initial declines that point to the collapse of the feudal system.

The Ordinance of Laborers, enacted by King Edward III of England in 1349, represents a significant turning point in the evolution of labor relations within the feudal system. In response to the scarcity of labor caused by the devastating Black Death, King Edward aimed to preserve the established power dynamics by regulating wages and limiting the autonomy of the peasant class. However, this ordinance also highlighted the growing tension between laborers and the feudal elite. Empowered by their newfound bargaining power, peasants resisted efforts to suppress their wages.

Despite the efforts of King Edward, the Ordinance of Laborers ultimately proved ineffective in halting the changes set in motion by the Black Death. The refusal of laborers to accept pre-plague wages highlighted the flaws in the feudal system, where the dependence of lords on peasant labor clashed with the realities of a post-pandemic England. The clash of interests demonstrated the vulnerabilities of feudalism, as the feudal elite were unable to maintain their power in the face of shifting economic dynamics. The Ordinance of laborers serves as a milestone in the declining influence of feudal aristocracy and the growing agency of the labor class.