The French Revolution was a period of turmoil in France that took placed in the 18th century between 1789-1799. During this time, there were many reasons as so why this took place. One long-range or indirect cause of the French Revolution was the social organization of the old reign. Before the Revolution happen, the French society was separated into three groups or estates (Spielvogel 567). The First Estate were the clergy and they were subdivided into the higher clergy and the lower clergy. The higher clergy held the highest position in society due to the fact that they came from privileged families (Spielvogel 568). They handle the churches and educational facilities in France. They were excluded from paying France's chief tax to …show more content…
Just like the clergy, the nobility were also subdivided into two groups; the nobility of the rope and the nobility of the sword (Spielvogel 568). The nobility of the rope, although they had some status, they were not as prominent as the nobility of the sword. They normally obtained their status from the positions they held in law courts and administrative offices or by buying their title from the king (Spielvogel 568). The nobility of the sword, were around since the middle ages and declared to be heir of the earliest nobility. These nobles were the ones that were seen in court. They ran the provinces, churches and government (Spielvogel 568). They were improvised and typically married within their individual class (Spielvogel 568). The Third Estate included everyone else in France. This social class was separated by their profession, type of schooling, and affluence (Spielvogel 568). The largest group in this class were the peasants. They typically owned 35%-40% of the land (Spielvogel 568). They were required to pay tithes to the clergy, taxes and rents; to which they bear a
The nobles from military decent (the sword) have an extensive lineage that allows them to perform certain tasks as described by Jean de La Taille in the poem “The Retired Courtier,” the words speak of the need to be a noble, to be a pure
During Medieval times apparel determined ranking and class in society. The classes were split into three different estates. The first estate was made up of members of the church. The second estate was made up of knights and nobles. The third and last estate was made up of Peasants also known as the working class. Chaucer expresses in The Canterbury Tales how apparel differs in the first, second, and third estate.
For the nobility, having a superior status and a fortune can put you in a finer, more privileged position in the social order. The men had access to more advanced weapons and artillery, along with training that developed their fighting skills. However, the nobles abused their status by committing crimes against the peasantry. They were able to get away with their felonies by corrupting
Nobles were classified as large hereditary landholders or warrior knights with accumulated fiefs. They were also broken up into higher and lower nobles. The higher nobles were long-established large landowners and the lower nobles were small landowners, descendants of minor knights, merchants able to buy country estates, and wealthy farmers risen from serfdom. The major distinguishing feature between the nobles and the rest of society was the fact that they lived off of the labor of others and they neither worked the land, nor engaged in commerce (Nasiadka). War became a major part of the nobles’ roles in society. Lords attempted to expand their territory and the main way to do that was through militaristic conquest. This then upped the value of military prowess and made war the sole occupation of the nobles (Noble et. al. pg.
The social classes of the system were set up with three classes and determined your wealth. The first class was set up with the king and the pope at the top. The pope had a supreme position with his own court to enforce things. He had all religious power necessary doing the Middle Ages. His duty was to teach his followers how to live and pray. The pope was able to gain a lot of political power and followers. The king had control over the assets and could decide how much land to provide on lease to the barons. The king had the power to withdraw the land from the barons if they showed poor performance, which could be granted to another baron. The king also has his own court, which has a great deal of the judicial power. The next class was the hereditary nobles. The barons were the most important hereditary nobles. The role of the barons was to serve the royal council,
The upper class worried about securing control over their kingdom. The members of nobility were responsible to protect the serfs and the clergy. Barons had power, owned a large portion of the King’s land, and could collect taxes. Serfs and merchants
The feudal society is structured like a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid is the king, and then the most powerful vassals such as nobles and bishops. Beneath these vassals are knights, who serve their king in exchange for fiefs. At the bottom of the pyramid are the landless peasants. In the feudal system, status determines a person’s prestige and power. Social class is inherited from previous generations. During the Middle Ages, most people were peasants. These peasants were
The people of the Medieval Ages were split into social classes, under the Feudal System, which at the top was the king, followed by his lords and barons, and then the peasants. The king lived in his castle with other members of royalty and wealth, and he assigned lords or barons to control parts of the kingdom. The castle was then surrounded by the villages and farms, where the peasants lived and did their work. As many could tell, this Feudal System was separated by the wealth of the individual, and
Those who fight, during the medieval ages wars were fought by knights, and very expensive. Some peasants could manage to pay for a horse, a suit of armor, or a sword. This shows that the people who fought were from the wealthiest order, the nobility. Nobles are those who owned land. Men were known as lords and Women, ladies. Their estate were they reside is called manors. This manor includes lord’s houses and some villages. Nobles have military obligations to higher nobles. They also had military aid from lesser nobles recognized as vassals. In return they get protection. Nobility are fierce and warlike, they don’t work but train for
This line of examination, however, raises the question of how one actually defines noble merit or what merits one to be considered part of the nobility. Loyseau visits history in order to gain context on the situation. He notes that at the formation of the Kingdom, two distinct groups were present who translate to the nobility and commoner distinction. These were the Franks and Gauls according to Loyseau and the
In the middle ages being a knight was a great honor and it was also a great title. On the other side of the social classes there were the peasants they had little to nothing, anything they had was never that nice. They usually barely had enough food to live on and linen scraps for clothes. As the knights had nice clothes and were treated with respect they even dined with the king if they did something werth the kings time. The king was usually nice to his knights but the knights were always disrespectful towards the king. While if the peasants did something to disrespect the king they would be in a lot of trouble.
During the Medieval era, there was a military order that became popular across Europe. They are the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon also known as the Knights Templar. The Knights of the Middle Ages were members of the Knights Templar and were supported by lower class soldiers and priests (Knights Templar, n.d.). Lance, sword, dagger, shield and a suit of chain mail were the Knights Templar's weapons of choice (How The Templars Fought, 2013).
During the Elizabethan Era, social classes were a big thing. People were born into a class. The main classes were The Monarch, Nobility, Gentry, Merchant, Yeomanry, and Laborers. The higher class would rule the lower class and they would be The Monarch, Nobility and Gentry. Each had a different role, The Monarch was the ruler above all, he/she would rule the land and everyone on it. At the time, Elizabeth was the Monarch. Queen Elizabeth was known as the greatest ruler of England. She never married, but went through her 'rebirth' and became married to England. She ruled for 45 years and made England a very strong country. The Nobility where the Knights and Noblemen. It was a very small class. At the head of every noble family would be a very
Ceorl’s were freemen. They were liable for military service in the army, until the 8th Century when kings preferred to have noblemen because they were better trained and equipped
vassals, or landowners, and finally down to the peasants, known then as the villeins. The fiefs, or