A class of small landowners and farmers in medieval and early modern England who owned their own land but were below the gentry in social status. Yeomen were free men who often served as foot soldiers in armies.
From Middle English 'yoman,' possibly from 'yong man' (young man) or related to 'ge-' (collective) plus 'man.' The term originally described household servants or attendants, but by the 14th century had evolved to mean independent farmers and small landowners.
Yeomen were the medieval 'middle class'—they formed the backbone of English longbow armies and were celebrated as the sturdy, independent farmers who made England strong! Shakespeare's audiences would have immediately recognized yeomen as the honest, hardworking heroes of English society.
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