Wombat
First Post
Tonguez said:
Errr, this isn't precisely what the "Three Field System" was about.
Three Field agriculture means dividing your available space into thirds; you plant 2/3 and let 1/3 go "fallow", let it rest. Each year you rotate which of the three sections goes fallow. That way you don't overuse the land and allow it to regain some nutrients.
Still and all, taxes can get complicated in a medieval setting. Most of your "tax revenues" will come in the form of food, some of which you can sell, but most of which is used to provide sustenance for the lord's family(ies). Part of the "revenue" was also in the form of labour -- a peasant might owe three days' service to his lord, either in the lord's private fields or in construction work. Then there is pay-in-kind, such as a smith giving knives and swords, a cooper giving barrels, etc. Very little actual coinage changed hands. Often what happens is that parts of the taxbase are granted to underlings (knights, stewards, or even churches/temples) so that they can also gain a living; equally part of the lord's revenues would probably be passed to a higher lord.
10% tithing was common in most of medieval Europe as a standard to the Catholic Church; this was supposed to be in addition to taxes to one's lord. Of course there are all sorts of different ways to figure out this "tithe" -- value of land, income, before and after other taxes, headcount, etc., so this amount could vary widely.
So going for roughly Good Room & Board +5-10% would not be out of hand.
