Final answer:
The false statement about European peasantry in the sixteenth century is that peasants had significant political power. They were bound within a feudal system as serfs with limited social mobility and owed feudal obligations and services to their lords, lacking political power.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement about the peasantry in Europe at the start of the sixteenth century that is NOT true is: Peasants in Europe had significant political power and were actively involved in governance. During this period, peasants had limited social mobility, were often bound to the land, and lacked political power. They were generally bound within a feudal system known as manorialism, where they owed feudal obligations and various dues and services to their lords.
Peasant life in Europe during the sixteenth century was predominantly agrarian, with the majority living in rural areas and engaging in agricultural work. They were typically subject to feudal hierarchies and lacked autonomy, with many being unfree, servile laborers known as serfs. While not enslaved, serfs occupied the lowest rung of the social ladder and held little to no political clout. Their social and economic circumstances were dictated largely by the nobility, and only after events like the Black Death were there shifts that eventually improved their situation and led to the gradual decline of serfdom.