How was medieval farms done?

Question

what did they look like? was it just the lord's house , serf's shack, a barn and then the land for farming, or was it liek a village thing?
what did a medieval farm consist of?

Answer 1

The middle ages were a thousand years long and spanned a dozen European countries. Obviously, farms and farming varied widely across both time and territory.

Here is a site about a typical English farm during the Saxon period (just prior to the Norman invasion in 1066):
http://www.regia.org/village/linstede.htm

Here is a site about farms in Scandinavia during the Viking era (approx. A.D. 800-1200):
http://www.hurstwic.org/history/articles/daily_living/text/Villages.htm

The Franks, Angevinians, Normans, Burgundians, etc. (who collectively became the French), practiced a form of feudalism called "manorialism" or "seigneurialism". The Wiki on manorialism has a map of a "typical" manor in the French system:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manorialism

I'm sure that feudalism under the Holy Roman Empire (modernly Germany) and the various kingdoms, protectorates and city-states that made up what is now Italy had their own flavour as well, but I don't know of a website I can easily point you to to answer this question.

I hope this helps you.

Answer 2

The lord had access to the best land. His manor was usually located away from the village to be close to his holdings. The village was near a source of water and was surrounded by the fields.

Answer 3

lords home at center, peasants surrounding. not like a village, lord provided protection. for protection and land he took on ethird of all the peasants crops. they used the three field system, which rotated three crops annually. only lord could do the hunting. hope that helps.