Lords and Ladies
The idea of the social pyramid is an explanation of social rank. Basically, the king was at the top, alone. The nobility were below the king. Below the nobility were serfs. Somewhat apart from this were the various religious people, with the Pope at the top, the bishops below, and the priests, monks, and nuns below them. The precise structure varies according to who is describing it.
At the very bottom. They had no freedom and no one below them.
See the related question below.
In the feudal system during and after the Middle Ages, a "knight" was the level below the nobility, who were the level below the king. A "vassal" was granted the use of land in exchange for fealty to a noble or knight. The noblemen directly under the king were called the "barrens" (from which the title baronderives).
The Medieval Warm Period was from about 950 to 1250 AD. It was a world wide event. There is a link below to an article on it.
The feudal system is described by the Feudal Pyramid, which has four basic elements, the king, the lords, the common vassals, and the serfs. It is called a pyramid because each layer was supported by a much larger group that supported it, down to the serfs. The term vassal is sometimes applied only to those below the lords, but the lords were vassals.
in medieval times people of less importance sat below the salt
Plenty! Start with the link listed below:
King comands everybody below him
Slaves, below even serfs.
Middle Ages Feudal Social Class System1. Monarchs2. High Clergy3. Nobles > Lesser Nobles4. Villein (free peasant) > Serfs / peasant
In the related links box below, I posted the information.
Both the Church and the feudal system had a hierarchical structure with a clear chain of command. In the Church, the Pope was at the top followed by cardinals, bishops, and priests. In the feudal system, the king or queen was at the top followed by nobles, knights, and peasants. Both systems relied on loyalty and obedience from those below them in the hierarchy.
The daimyo class was the middle class in the Japanese feudal system. The shoguns were above and the peasants were below.
The feudal system was the primary government system used in Medieval Europe. It existed as somewhat of a branch-like chain of command, where those who are considered part of the system are in control of those directly below them, but serve their liege lord directly above them. At the top of the chain was a king, or someone with a similar title. Below him were what are considered his "vassals". The king granted large amounts of land (feuds) to his vassals in exchange for their services. These services would include paying taxes, supporting him politically, and providing levies for his army. (Levies were certain amounts of soldiers a vassal had promised to his king in times of war). On a smaller scale, a lesser-lord such as a Baron or Count would also create a small-scale feudal system within his own land. He would provide a small piece of land for farming and such to each of his knights, in return for their allegiance to him in wartime.
Medieval estates were called manors. They were central to the manorial system. There are links below.
Marseille is in the south of France, on the Mediterranean Sea. There is a link below to an article on Marseille.