Idea class Important for the social structure of the Middle Ages. Over time, various systems of separation of members of society at the estate developed and evolved.
System of class division
- The most famous system is French Ancien Régime. (Old mode), three estate system used to the French Revolution (1789-1799). This system consisted of a clergy (first class), nobles (second estimation), peasantry and bourgeoisie (third class).
- In some regions, especially in Scandinavia and Russia, the Burgers (city merchant class) and rural commoners were divided into separate estates, creating a system with four classes with rural versators, which are considered the lowest fourth grades.
- In England, a system with two estates developed, which united the nobility and the clergy into one mainstream. This system has created two chambers of parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
- In the south of Germany, a three-class system was used: nobility (princes and higher clergy), ritter (Knights) and burghers.
Core inequality
- The staticity of medieval society was based on the positions of inheritance.
- Simparishes are universally considered the lower estate. Nevertheless, the dependence of the highest classes from the production, which was provided by the commoner, led to the division of this class by two estates: Burgers (also known as the bourgeoisie) - the estate of citizens, as well as peasants from the surrounding lands and villages.
- A person usually invested his position in society from his father, as well as his profession, this system of dividing society was similar to Custom. Many regions and states also existed population groups born outside certain estates.
- The legislative and executive bodies of the state traditionally relied on the estate, and the monarch stood over all three orders. Meetings of representatives of different estates became early legislative and judicial parliaments. The monarchs sought to legalize their power, demanding the oath of the loyalty of the highest estates.
- Today, in most countries, the nobility has lost all of its legal privileges and mainly represents historical interest. At the same time, many people still boast of noble origin, there are laws against false titles of the nobility. For example, the British government supports this tradition.
- One of the earliest political pamphlets dedicated to the estate inequality was called "What is the third estate?" (French: QU'EST-CE QUE LE TIERS-ÉTAT?). This work was written Abbe Emmanuel Joseph Sieve in January 1789, shortly before the beginning of the French revolution.
Historical background
- After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, numerous public elements developed among the peoples of Europe, while the growing influence of the Catholic Church and its papacy had an impact on the ethical, moral and religious life of the whole society. This led to a mutual dependence between the secular and religious authorities, but over time and with the growing power of monarchs, the desires of secular rulers were increasingly dispersed with religious dogmas and church solutions.
- The new lords feudal determined themselves first of all as warriors, but because the technologies of warfare were expensive, and the fighters demanded significant material resources and considerable time for training, these needs needed to be covered with the help of the "lower" classes.
- The economic and political transformation of rural areas during this period led to a large increase in population, agricultural production, technologies and cities; Periodically, the differences between church and secular, and the monarchy recognized by the church also had its influence.
- In the XI and XII centuries, thinkers argued that the human society consists of three classes: those who pray, those who fight, and those who work.
- The estate of the first order, the clergy remained in one whole right to religious transformations of the XVI century.
- The most common class of those who work (in particular, those who were not knights or nobles) after the XI century were divided into peasants, qualified artisans, merchants, financiers, laity and entrepreneurs who together pushed the European economy to its greatest achievements.
- The second estate, those who fought, feudal and knights, had political power, ambitions and sometimes represented the danger to the crown. Kings made every effort to guarantee their loyalty.
Christian Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire and up to the heyday of the Renaissance (and in some countries, even later) was organized into the system of classes. This system is also sometimes referred to as "three classes", because in many countries the company consisted of three different castes, each of which was called the estate.
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