Northumberland is not much different from other territories. There are thousands of households living here. Besides nobles and knights, the largest number are serfs, some free people, and slaves.
The serfs paid land rent and various taxes with labor, goods, and currency. Although they had some land of their own, they could not leave the master's territory and were subject to great restrictions.
Freemen is a general term. In Northumberland, what people often refer to as freemen refers more to yeoman farmers. The landowners cultivated their own land and paid land rent, but they also had to cultivate the land for their master. Excluding them, they are the craftsmen. The craftsmen make a living with their own crafts, which is much better than the serfs.
Slaves are the worst. They have neither their own land nor freedom. They are the master's personal belongings. Everything does not belong to them. No matter what they do, there is no reward.
To pay back the money you owe the master, you may become a slave, steal things, or you may become a slave, or you may not do anything, just because your territory is occupied by other nobles, you also have to be a slave.
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