What was the relationship between lords and serfs in the feudal system?

In the feudal system, the relationship between lords and serfs was fundamentally based on mutual obligations that characterized the socio-economic structure of the time. Serfs were not free individuals; instead, they were bound to the land owned by a lord. In exchange for the protection that lords provided against external threats and for ensuring the security of their livelihoods, serfs undertook various agricultural duties and worked the land. This arrangement created a system of reliance where the lord offered security and access to resources, while serfs provided labor and a portion of their agricultural outputs.

This relationship was crucial for the stability of the medieval society, with the success of the manor system depending heavily on these interactions between lords and serfs. The other choices do not accurately reflect the dynamics of this system, as serfs did not have the freedom to own land, lords did not work for serfs, and there was indeed a defined relationship characterized by reciprocal duties and protections.