Despite their low and highly variable incomes, death by starvation was surprisingly rare among the peasantry. The reason was simple: informal community support within the manor for those who still belonged to one, and formal charitable institutions run by the Church, such as almshouses, leper houses, pilgrim centers, educational institutions, and monastic hospitals, for those outside the manor, constituted a social safety net. Harder times for the poor explain why the Church became more aggressive in its fight against usury.14
Nobody died of hunger in feudl times
