The three orders of Medieval society

Who was a vassal?

A vassal was a man who swore loyalty to a lord. In exchange for protection, he swore to fight for his lord.

The clergy often overlapped with the first order (the nobility), why?

Lots of members of the clergy were members of noble families. As a consequence of the right of primogeniture, many sons of noble families did not inherit the title, but entered religious life and became bishops or popes.

What about the nobility?

Many members of the nobility found themselves rich in titles but poor in cash and were forced to marry members of the lower classes to survive. This was the beginning of the middle class.

How was society structured in the Middle Ages?

Medieval society was feudal, based on a rigid hierarchy and divided into three orders, or social classes: the nobles, the clergy and the peasants.

What was the purpose of the right of primogeniture?

Only the first male inherited titles and properties, so the wealth of the family was not broken down.

What does it mean that Medieval society was rigid?

People believed that these three orders were established by God and nobody should change this system. There was no way out of this social hierarchy.

Who were the clergy?

The clergy were just below the nobles. They were the official members of the Church who devoted their lives to praying.

Who were the peasants?

The majority of the population were peasants. Nobles and clergy were side by side at the top of the social ladder and represented only 5 to 10% of the population. The rest were peasants, those who did not own goods or properties and worked to live.

Who were the nobles?

The nobles were at the top of the social hierarchy. They had titles and wealth and fought in wars. The highest title was the king, then there were dukes, earls and the knights who were the lowest rank of the nobility.

How did the peasants live?

The peasants, or serves, were born on the estate of a lord and were bound to him for life. They cultivated his land and in exchange they had a place to live and food and protection in case of war. They were subjected to the authority of the lord. For example, to get married they had to get permission from the lord.

What type of life did the clergy have?

They had to take religious vows, such as chastity and poverty. But they often had properties and goods and wives and children. They refused to abandon the lifestyle and the privileges of their social order and were very powerful, but not very spiritual.

What does it mean that the titles were hereditary?

Titles and properties (castles, estates) were hereditary, passed on from the father to the eldest son (right of primogeniture).

Why did this happen?

Towns started to develop and became the centres of economy, the centres of trade. So many members of the lower class left the countryside and moved to the towns, here they became merchants or businesses or got jobs that allowed them to acquire wealth.

When did things start to change?

in the 14th century, when a catastrophe hit Europe, the plague, also known as the Black Death, which killed almost half of the population. The social structure based on the three orders started to break down and the third order started to move up socially.