The
medieval household was, like modern
households, the center of family life for all classes of European society. Yet in contrast to the household of today, it consisted of many more individuals than the
nuclear family. From the household of the king to the humblest peasant dwelling, more or less distant relatives and varying numbers of servants and dependents would cohabit with the master of the house and his immediate family. The structure of the medieval household was largely dissolved by the advent of
privacy in
early modern Europe.