Most people were still farmers. Greater than 90% of the population had to be farmers, because if that wasn't the case the people would starve, because farming was so inefficient. While many improvements in agriculture throughout history had vastly increased the agricultural surplus and the capacity for non-farm work nevertheless the bulk of the population had been farmers. Only since the late 19th century has that changed.
> Greater than 90% of the population had to be farmers, because if that wasn't the case the people would starve
That's quite a bold statement. Do you have a source to back it up?
If that was the case, there wouldn't be such a thing as a city or a civilization.
From what I understand, most people in Europe were peasants because the ruling class wouldn't let them be anything else, not because it was the only sustainable choice economically.
I think you are thinking about serfdom - which ended at different times (15th Century or so for what is now the UK) and a recently as 1861 in places like Russia.
