Throughout the Middle Ages, most people lived their lives apart from the nobility and clergy. A contemporary phrase, "the silent majority," captures the essence of this underclass known as peasants or serfs. For those serfs who lived on the lord's manor, life was difficult and monotonous, and at times survival seemed impossible. Bread, for example, was essential for existence. During those years when the wheat harvest was meager, acorns and tree bark would be milled with the wheat to increase the amount of flour necessary to make bread. There were times when this expedient proved insufficient, and many serfs died of starvation. The nobility was rarely affected by a bad harvest for two reasons. No matter how scarce the available grain, the nobility still received its share from the hapless peasantry. More importantly, the nobility held title to the streams and woods where...