I learnt through a presentation performed by 2 people on Medieval day about the social structure of Medieval European society.
The Medieval European feudal system that was used to classify every human in a social class that was used over a period of a 100 years. The amount of goods you provided and how loyal you were to someone of a higher rank allowed you to gain protection and more. What you were decided what class you were considered to fit.
The earliest leaders of the Feudal system were Charlemagne and William the Conqueror.
Charlemagne was born 742 AD. He was the ruler of the Frankish Empire during the years 768-814. during his Dynasty he composed Northern Italy.
William the Conqueror ruled while known as Duke of Normandy during the years
…show more content…
Princess - Were not next in line unless their was no male who could take his fathers place.
The next social class was the Nobility. The Nobility included both hereditary nobility which had power over others through blood lines and Non-hereditary nobility who were lower and had to gain their power by working.
The Hereditary Nobility included Dukes and Barons.
Dukes - Were rulers of provinces. Highest ranking in both the Hereditary Nobility and Non-hereditary nobility.
Barons - Were responsible for his King and people who lived on his manor. May serve in the military if the king is in need of him. Was also a judge in court.
Non-hereditary nobility included Knights, Peasants, Freemen, Serfs and Slaves.
Knight - Protect the Lord in his army and watch over his manor
Slave - Were bought and sold as human workers.
Peasant - Were the lowest social rank. Peasants included Freemen and Serfs.
Freemen - Poor farmers who controlled small areas of land. Sold crops.
Serf - Had no rights or political power. Lived on a Nobles property.
The last social class which is not included on the Feudal system was the Clergy which included Popes, Bishops, Priests and
In Ace, nobility was hereditary. Being a king is the highest noble station there is. The difficulty with this is that the king also decides court-cases, as he is the judge. “… His rearing—often colored his decisions… The king's judgments wrought frequent injustices, but it was merely the fault of his training, his natural and unalterable sympathies (page 140).”
The serfs probably worked the hardest providing food and services when demanded (Doc. 1). They only got one day a week to farm for themselves (Doc. 2). Knights had to provide protection and military service to nobles. They also had to provide a place to stay if their noble visited (OI). Lastly, nobles were expected to provide money and knights to the king (Doc. 1).
The noble class comprised the top echelons of Aztec society; they dominated the priesthood, the government, and practically all of the empire's riches. They also occupied the majority of the influential posts in those three spheres. The Aztecs had a rigid social structure in which people fell into one of four categories: nobles, commoners, serfs, or slaves. High ranking priests, nobles, and members of the military made up the noble class. Society was firmly under the authority of the nobility.
Men farmed their own or nobles land. There were three classes. On the top was the emperor who was supported by the military. 1st was the nobles who were military and government authority. Next were artisans then commoners.
However, this could be better seen in their form of government. Feudalism was a system that had land owners at the top (Kings and lords) and those who worked the land and keep the community safe at the bottom. It was basically impossible to move between social classes, and a desire to keep the rich with the rich meant that one couldn’t marry into money It was a social, economic, political, and legal system that stood in place for hundreds of years. The system, however meant that the government was weak, and it rarely stretched far; the larger the kingdom, the harder it was to keep it working. It also meant there were a lot of poor people living in the fifteen hundreds.
High School System vs. Middle Ages Feudal System The high school system today correlates to the feudalistic system established in 1066 by William I, also known as William the Conqueror. The feudal system was created in the Middle Ages to bring order to land jurisdiction, military control, and labor. Though these various aspects of the system need to be separated, they also need to flow together to create a fully functional system. On the other hand, the public school system is vastly different, the same feudalistic model can still be evident in the public school system.
Underneath the nobles and barons, there are knights that are trained from the age of 7. In return for service to the nobles and barons, they are given grants of land. The peasants and serfs are on the bottom of the social system, there are peasants who farm the land in return for shelter and protection (history.com). This compares with
The class system in Europe was slightly different from Japan’s, the monarch or king was the head of the kingdom they presided in. Some of the monarchs were from royal houses and some earned it through war. The nobles were the rich families in kingdom, some served the monarch. The warrior class of feudal Europe was composed of knights; knights were much different from samurai. From the weapons a knight wielded to the iron clad armor that was typically worn was the stark opposite of a samurai.
“For example, the only people who were allowed to vote in Athens were male citizens of Athenian descent who were age eighteen or older, meaning that only approximately 40,000 out of the approximate 260,000 people could vote.” (Ancient Greek Democracy, History.com) The Dark Ages were defined by serfs who worked the land; nobles, the upper class citizens; and vassals, loyal followers of the noble. “Feudalism is the social system that existed in Europe during the Dark Ages in which serfs and vassals worked and fought for nobles who gave them protection and the use of land.” (Merriam-Webster, Feudalism) “Social divisions also appeared during the Renaissance and consisted of five classes that varied in nature and number.”
If the knights broke a law and was found guilty, there shield would be broken into two and their sword was cracked over their head and then they held a funeral at a church. Not to mention, without the government, there would be no feudalism. In the Code of Chivalry, Knights had to live in a gentleman-warrior code of Chivalry.(Doc. 5) Feudalism was such a big part of the society that it shaped lots of history in the Middle Ages. In addition, lords were not the only people that could grant land.
In the Elizabethan age, social class structure was paramount. The class ranking dictated how the people of each level could dress, the diet and food available, and career standing. Social hierarchy classes consisted of a monarch, nobility, gentry, merchants, yeomanry, and laborer. The monarch was the highest and most superior class ranking, it was based off of bloodline only and the oldest monarch would take the throne and become the most powerful(“Elizabethan Era.”).
The societies of Tokugawa Japan (c.1603-1867C.E.) and medieval Europe (c.1000-1500C.E.) had two things in common; a feudal system. A feudal system is something that features hierarchies or social structures. The feudal system normally starts with a religion, which is at the very top of the social pyramid, then it’s the King or monarch for Europe and the shogun for Japan, then there are the nobles for Europe and the daimyos for Japan. As we go down the pyramid there are the warriors, like the knight in Europe and the samurai in Japan, then there are the peasants. The peasants were included in both eras and are at the lowest part of the pyramid.
In the 1500s and the 1600s the feudal system was beginning to fall. Different countries were trying new different types of governments instead of the dysfunctional feudal system. The feudal system consisted of many different nobles ruling over their own land. It was not a uniform system of ruling over the country. There were small city-states run by a singular ruler.
Long before the Renaissance, government was based on feudalism, the idea of dividing society based on class. People earned a set wage for their class’ jobs. Children that were born into a family were the same class as their family. Also, thinking was deeply religious and even art and sculpture all were based on religious figures. However, humanists quashed this idea.
The king also gave peasants to his vassals so they can get their land farmed. The peasants would be forced to work on the fiefs the Lord received, while the Lord supervises. The King not only gave to the Lord, but he also received from the Lord. A great Lord supplied his king with an army of knights, sometimes it would be as many as 100 knights whenever they were needed (Biel 4).