Postive Effects of Medieval Social Classes

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Recommended: The middle English period

The development of social classes in medieval England affected life for the people in many positive ways. It served as a means of organization to base their daily lives off of, and also gave the peasants and trade classes protection from the rulers and the clergy class in return for their labor and allegiance (“Quizlet”). Life in the Middle Ages was based on the framework of social classes so they could flourish socially and economically.
The British class structure was a configuration of five main classes. The King owned all the land and distributed portions of it to his nobles. He was part of the ruling class, along with the Pope and the rest of the royalty (Pattie). The Pope was the religious ruler and had power over the church and the whole town (Newman, “Clergy in the Middle Ages”). He was viewed as the human version of God, so he was extremely respected and the townspeople followed his advice and direction. Queens, princes, and princesses made up the rest of the ruling class (“People of the Middle Ages”). The King counted on the queen to support and encourage him, and also as someone he could trust with confidential information. The queen also was responsible for hosting town events and social gatherings. Princes were next in line to be King, and princesses were forced to marry a prince of her parents’ choice (Newman, “Social Classes”).
The class below the rulers was the clergy class. This class consisted of the Pope, bishops, priests, monks, and nuns (Newman, “Clergy in the Middle Ages). The church backed up the system of the social classes. Bishops were leaders of the church who also held wedding ceremonies, and dealt with conflicts between the people (“Middle Ages: The Medieval Social Classes”). They were under the ...

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Newman, Simon. "Clergy in the Middle Ages." The Finer Times: War, Crime and History Resource. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
Newman, Simon. "Social Classes in the Middle Ages." The Finer Times: War, Crime and History Resource. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.
Pattie, Tammy. "Medieval People." Lscacamp.org. N.p., 2011. Web.
"People of the Middle Ages." The Middle Ages. N.p., 2011. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.
"Quizlet." Middle Ages: Development of Feudalism-Essential Questions Flashcards. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Schwartz, Debora. "The Three Estates." The Three Estates. N.p., 2009. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.
Trueman. "The Lifestyle of Medieval Peasants." The Lifestyle of Medieval Peasants. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

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