The rural economy of medieval Europe was predominantly agrarian and organized under the manorial system, which formed the backbone of economic and social life between the early and late Middle Ages. Agriculture was the principal occupation, and the majority of the population lived in villages and depended directly on the cultivation of land for survival. The manor served as the basic economic unit, integrating agricultural production, social organization, and local administration. The manorial system was characterized by a self-sufficient economy. Each manor consisted of the lord's demesne, cultivated for his benefit, and peasant holdings, where serfs and free tenants produced food for themselves while fulfilling obligations to the lord. Since trade and transportation were limited in the early medieval period,