Hierarchy
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Because the medieval ociety was born into a violent time of great disorder and confusion, an extremely strict hierarchy was set in place designed to bring both political organization and peace to the people of the time, therefor defining this time period as an age of feudalism. Known as the feudal system, these social classes were developed on a basis of laws which bound the ruling class together and which bound peasants to their land. While the organization brought order, it also provided jobs for those with talents, for the people of the middle ages didn't believe in heredity, but instead, in the ability of a son to make a better life for himself than that of his father's. Women were also provided with work, a drastic societal change from the previous Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. Nevertheless, each citizen was broken into a rough social category based on his or her service to the feudal lord. The highest rank of citizens were "those who pray", including members of the church, such as clergy, monks, and nuns. The second in rank, the middle class, were "those who fight", including knights, and eventually, nobles. Last was "those who work". This section of society, uniquely, was perhaps the largest, for it included citizens ranging anywhere from poor peasants to wealthy merchants. As one may observe, the medieval classes were not based on wealth, unlike many preceding civilizations. Rather, as mentioned previously, one's service to his or her lord was of more value. This was insured by a system of personal relationships, a component that determined one's rank within their overall class. For example, 1 peasant may have more power than the next simply because he or she did more work for the feudal lord of the manor. Personal relationships were often based on personal ties of inheritance, tradition, and/or personal commitments, though they fluctuated often and did not remain permanent. If dissatisfied with his or her present rank, one could, however, move up in rank through marriage or the church, one reason why there were many Christian followers at this time. This system of hierarchy only becomes more complex, for a one, perhaps a soldier, who gives his service to the feudal lord, in return receives a fief, or given amount of land which he may, in turn, distribute to his fellow peasants, therefor becoming a lord to his tenants who become vassals, or a feudal subordinate who owned land. In simpler terms, the feudal lord of a manor, though he is still the supreme ruler, has many vassals which are all feudal lords to their own vassals who borrow their land. As mentioned in an article titled “Grant of Fief with
Immunity”, “We have given him certain villas with their extent and dependencies…granting
that he and his sons and his posterity may hold them in peace and security.” In return for land, every citizen of the
middle ages, especially the lords, were expected to share that land with others
and form their own feudal system, providing protection for each of their vassals. Below all of these levels of society were the serfs, a category of unfree peasants due to their birth into a family of serfs. These slaves worked for and depended on the feudal lord of the manor, requiring permission to do anything, including leaving a manor. While the feudalism and social structure of the middle ages varied drastically from manor to manor and while there were constantly fluctuating customs in response to different situations, there was a consistent theme throughout, enforcing a strict and organized hierarchy defined as an age of Feudalism.
The Evolution of Aristocracy in the Middle Ages
As the middle ages advanced and as the social classes developed, a new section of society evolved known as the aristocracy, a class composed of nobles who ruled the land. Before this new reform, the nobles were considered to be the middle class and didn’t receive any more respect or privileges. However, as time went on, the gap between peasants and nobles grew larger and larger until laws were passed to restrict the rights of peasants and to provide better clothes and food for aristocrats. This development of the social structure was key to the feudalism that occurred in the middle ages.