Media

With many set in medieval times, and based on historical accuracy, I've read about castles left in the care of a seneschal, steward, vassal, guardian, proctor, chamberlain, agent, and other terms I can't recall. The Lord might be residing on another estate, serving the king in battle or at court, too young to manage the holding; or the property might be part of a dowry (of an orphaned or illegitimate female) which has been left to be tended by someone until the dowry gets transferred to the husband.

Sometimes this property has been well managed, life is good, and the residents fear who might become their new Lord. Other times the property and or the peasants have been abused by the caretaker, and the new Lord and Lady restore the estate and make the peasants lives better.

I could certainly imagine an estate or 2 where something like a constitutional collective developed. The person in charge sets the tone, and some old steward might have implemented this system to ensure things would run smoothly, to avoid a conflict over who's in charge and who profits. Seems like a fair system to me! Early seeds of democracy.

Interesting to learn about the existence of a collective in Germany.
Thanks for sharing this. I appreciated it.