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Question 43

Which group made up the great majority of the population of medieval Europe?

  1. Knights and nobles
  2. Monks and clergy
  3. Townspeople and merchants
  4. Peasants who worked the landCorrect answer

Explanation

Almost everyone lived by farming, because the yields of the time meant that a very large rural workforce was needed to feed even the small number of people who did no farming at all. Townspeople catch out readers who picture busy market cities, because towns did grow steadily across the period, yet town dwellers remained a small share of the whole population right through it.

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