Final answer:
Serfs experienced short lifespans due to poor living conditions, strenuous labor, insufficient nutrition, lack of sanitation and medical care, and the oppressive demands of serfdom.
Step-by-step explanation:
Serfs, the unfree peasants of medieval Europe, had short lifespans due to a combination of factors. Harsh living conditions marked by poor sanitation, inadequate nutrition, and limited access to medical care contributed to a high mortality rate. Women often died in childbirth, and many children did not survive past infancy. Additionally, the hard labor required on the manors, exposure to the elements in one- or two-room homes, and the risk of fires from constantly lit fires which could damage the thatched roofs above them impacted their health. Serfdom in Europe placed heavy demands on serfs through the manorial system, including owed labor to the lord, which left little time for anything other than subsistence farming. The lack of proper clothing and rare opportunities for bathing further weakened their resistance to diseases. As serfs were legally bound to their land and had little to no personal freedom or rights, their lives were consumed by their obligations to the lord.