German Genealogy
German Tax Records
Peasants in the feudal system were taxed for many
different reasons by their rulers. If a peasant died, the ruler
would get the best ox. If the ruler needed grain, he would tax the
peasants a certain percentage of their harvest. A ruler approved all
marriages, and if a peasant wanted to marry outside of his/her
village, the rulers of the villages could swap serfs. The rulers
could generate taxes for all kinds of reasons. Many of these taxes
created records.