At the top were the nobility, which included the knights and had a hierarchy within it.
Below them were the freemen, which were the middle class.
Below them were serfs and villeins, who were not slaves, but also not quite free.
A fourth group, the clergy, was quite apart and had a separate hierarchy of its own, though bishops were considered lords for many purposes, and clergy were considered commoners.
There is a different four part hierarchy that is recorded in medieval Scottish law, consisting of nobility, freemen, serfs, and slaves. The slaves disappeared from Scotland during the High Middle Ages, however.
Children should address adults with the proper amount of respect at their level of society. Children should address adults as ma'am and sir.
Just giving my input based on the knowledge I have from AS medieval history. The answer can be found in the fact that the Normans didn't really change anything after conquering; the Normans were adept at exploiting the success of others. William the Bastard (later "the conqueror") found, in my opinion, a sophisticated nation state when he invaded in 1066. England was a wealthy country, with well-established laws, administrative boundaries and financial customs. William kept the shires, sheriffs and earldoms and continued to raise taxes as Edward (The Confessor) had done, for his own means. By the 11th century the contemporary idea of society was that of three levels; those who fought, those who prayed, and those who worked. The aristocratic class of landowners did not dirty their hands; they served the king in battle and in administration. The churchman had their hierarchy stretching from the pope in Rome, to the bishops, abbots, monks and the village priests. To further exacerbate the point, there where merchants, craftsmen and sailors. As we can see, society was well structured and developed. To determine whether pre-conquest England was a sophisticated state we must examine and explore the organisation of finances. What emerged in England in the 10th and 11th centuries was an efficient system of taxation based upon sound currency. The minting of coins expanded considerably under West Saxon kings so that by 980's there were approximately 60 mints around the country. Royal control was absolute; every 5 years all coins in circulation ceased to be legal tender by royal decree and were to be handed in and exchanged. Moreover, the money was so sophisticated, the Anglo-Saxon monetary system of pounds, shillings and pence remained in use till 1971!
Poverty in 16th century England was primarily caused by a combination of economic changes, social upheaval, and political factors. The end of feudalism led to the enclosure movement, where common lands were privatized, displacing many rural workers. Additionally, rising population levels increased competition for jobs, while the impact of inflation eroded wages. Political instability and the dissolution of monasteries further strained support systems for the poor, contributing to widespread hardship.
The four levels of party organization. 1. precinct 2. county 3. state 4. national
The society was separated into Church and secular, each with its own hierarchies. In the beginning of medieval times, the Church was mostly, but not all, based in Rome. In later times, after 1054, the Roman Church had divided into Roman Catholic, based in Rome and headed by a Pope, and the Eastern Orthodox, headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Church was divided functionally into the ordinary clergy, who are referred to as secular because they minister to the needs of secular people, and the monastics, who are referred to as regular because they are regulated by monastic rules. The secular clergy are ordered as follows, from the highest rank down: Pope in Rome or Patriarch of Constantinople Cardinals (Roman Church), archbishops who could elect a new pope Archbishops (Roman Church), senior bishops Bishops, heads of dioceses, which consisted of geographical groups of churches Priests of local churches Deacons, lower order in local churches The regular clergy are ordered as follows, again top down: Pope or Patriarch Grand Master, heads of monastic order, which could be worldwide in scope Abbots, heads of local monasteries Monks, who were the members of monasteries Novices, training to become monks The secular people also each had a place in a social hierarchy. The social hierarchy, from the top down, was as follows: Monarch, who could be emperor, king, prince, or duke, but was independent Nobility Freemen Serfs Slaves A king could be a vassal of an emperor, and so was not always an independent monarch. Similarly, princes and dukes were usually vassals to kings or emperors. The English nobility consisted of the following, from the top down: King or Queen Prince or Princess Archduke or Archduchess Duke or Duchess Marquess or Marchioness Earl or Countess Viscount or Viscountess Baron or Baroness Baronet or Baronetess (not in medieval times) Knight or Dame (not hereditary in England) Esquire (not always nobility) Continental nobility was the same but with different spellings, except that the continental equivalent of an earl is a count. Freemen were not all middle class. The highest levels of the free were such people as prosperous businessmen. These people were not of inconsiderable stature. One family that is very well known even today, for example, was the Medici banking family, which later became nobility. The Hanseatic League rivalled nations in importance, and its merchants, who were not nobility, rivalled the nobility in their areas in importance. The lowest levels of freemen were hardly above the serfs. They included small craftsmen, such as bakers, potters, or smiths. Indeed, at the lowest level of the free were Travellers, who are sometimes now rather inaccurately referred to as Gypsies, and included the least of the itinerant musicians, jugglers, and tinkers. Serfs were not slaves, but were not free to leave the land they worked on. They had a set of fixed mutual obligations with their lords. They provided the lords with parts of the fruits of their labor, and the lords protected them and provided them with a place to live and work. The serfs had rights, and one of these rights was a right to live on the land they occupied; if the land was sold, the new owner was not allowed to evict them and replace them with someone else. Slaves existed or not, depending on the country. The tendency during the middle ages was to free slaves. The reasons for this are not entirely clear, but could have been based on the acceptance of Christianity, because the Old Testament laws do not permit keeping believers in bondage for longer than seven years.
"Social class" describes the levels of medieval society.
Levels of Class
There were four levelsKingChurch Officials and NoblesKnightpeasants or serfs
The peasants were the lowest level of medieval society. They earned a living by providing food to the knights. As the lowest class, they were brutally punished or killed when they did not provide enough to the higher classes.
Medieval European society consisted of a hierarchy. In order of decreasing levels the hierarchy listed kings, nobles, knights, merchants/farmers/craftsmen, and then peasants/serfs.
Brian Towers has written: 'The Representation Gap' -- subject(s): Industrial relations, Labor unions, Cross-cultural studies 'British incomes policy' -- subject(s): Economic policy, Wage-price policy 'A Handbook of Industrial Relations Practice' 'Bargaining for change' -- subject(s): Wages and labor productivity, Collective bargaining 'Choosing bargaining levels'
pharoh, artisians, merchants, slaves
Feudal aristocracy refers to the social class of nobles who held land and power during the feudal system, which dominated medieval Europe. This hierarchy was characterized by a structure of landownership and loyalty, where lords granted land (called fiefs) to vassals in exchange for military service and allegiance. The feudal aristocracy played a key role in governance, defense, and the economy, often operating under a system of mutual obligations between different levels of nobility and their subjects. Their influence diminished with the rise of centralized monarchies and the emergence of modern nation-states.
In medieval Europe, there were different types of nobles, such as monarchs (kings and queens), dukes and duchesses, earls and countesses, barons and baronesses, knights, and lords/ladies. These titles represented varying levels of social status, power, and land ownership within the feudal system.
There are 100 levels.
The four levels of the feudal hierarchy typically include the king at the top, who grants land to nobles or lords in exchange for loyalty and military service. Below the lords are the vassals or knights, who serve the lords and manage smaller parcels of land. The next level consists of peasants or serfs, who work the land and provide labor in return for protection and a place to live. This system creates a structured society based on land ownership and mutual obligations.
In the feudal system, a fief was a piece of land granted by a lord to a vassal in exchange for military service and loyalty. The vassal would manage the fief, ensuring its productivity while providing protection and support to the lord. This arrangement created a hierarchical structure, where land ownership was central to power and social status, and it facilitated the exchange of services and obligations between different levels of society. Ultimately, fiefs were essential to the economic and social organization of medieval Europe.