The Three Orders

Two features of the early feudal society of France were as follows:

(i) The early feudal society was based on the lord-peasant relationship. The peasants worked in their fields as well as in the fields of the lord. In exchange of labour service the lords provided military security to the peasants. The lords also enjoyed vast judicial rights over the peasants.

(ii) The society was divided into three orders- priests, nobles and peasants. Priests had kept themselves in first order and the nobles in the second order. But in practical, the nobility had a very important role in social processes. It was so because they had control over the land. This control was the result of a custom called `vassalage’.

Long-term changes in population levels affect economy and society in Europe in following ways:

(i) Span of life became longer with better food. By the 13^th century, an average European could expect to live 10 years longer than in the 8^th century due to good quality of production.

(ii) New towns emerged as centres of trade and commerce. The society shifted towards advancement and became more civilized.

During 9^th century of Europe local wars became common. There were frequent localised wars in Europe from the ninth century onwards Good cavalry was required for wars. The amateur present-soldiers were not good enough for those wars. This need was fulfilled by the knights. In this way, knights became a distinct group to achieve this aim. The fall of the feudal power resulted in the decline of the knight during the 15^th century.

Monks lived in medieval monasteries. They spent their time in prayer, study and manual labour like farming. They also encouraged and developed art. In this way, medieval monasteries were the centers of religious and cultural activities. People in the monasteries led a simple life, inspired people to donate and to serve the sick. They valued human attributes and preach the same.

A Craftsman in a medieval French town was very skilled in his craft. He was a member of a guild. The guild controlled the quality of the product, its price and its sale. It also took care of social and economic needs of its members. A day of a craftsman in medieval French town would have been full of hard work and marketing include trade of his craft work. They maintained high standards of goods, craftsmen and formed guild which opened shops and sold their stuff. They collected the money and used it for their own purpose.

French Serf: French serfs cultivated the land mainly of lords. That’s why much of the produce was taken away by the lord. Forced labour Beggar was also taken from them. They were not allowed to leave the estate without the permission of the lord. Serfs could grind their flour in their lord’s mill, could bake their bread in his oven and could distill wine and beer in his wine presses. The lord also had the right to decide to whom a serf should marry. They had to work extensively and were given no wages or incentives.

Roman slave: A Roman slave had a very hard life. They were more like a property; object that can be bought or sold. They had no rights or identity. They had to work continuously for several hours. They were chained so that he might not escape. They were not unchained even when they went to sleep. They were forced to bear more and more children because their children were also made slaves when they grew up. However there were some free slaves whose life was better.