Defining the Household. During the Middle Ages all people who lived together, including those not related by blood or marriage, were considered a household. A typical household might include not only parents and children but also other relatives, servants, and apprentices. In the upper levels of society, especially in the homes of the medieval aristocracy, guards and other military retainers, along with the large number of servants necessary to run an aristocratic estate, were also included in the household.

Household Cycles. Several different family structures existed across Europe during the Middle Ages, and it is sometimes difficult for modern scholars to describe them exactly or to do a systematic analysis of their growth and development. Because there were no population censuses or tax assessments for most of the period, documentation is haphazard and allows only limited insights into...