The society in the middle ages was characterized by a socioeconomic system that was based on exploitation of the farmers (servants) for the Feudal lords (nobles). Between these nobles there were both secular and religious feudal lords.
Historically, the dominant classes of societies have developed ideological justificationswhich help sustain that exploitation and that Social inequality. In this context, in Europe western, the hierarchy of the Christian Church elaborated and spread this explanation of how society was organized: it was called Theory of the Three Orders.
The interpretation of the Christian society known as Theory of the Three Orderswas developed by two French bishops between the years 1024 and 1030. According to her, society was made up of three hierarchical and complementary social orders: the speakersthe Warriors and the farmers.
❚ The speakers They were located at the head of this society. They were the ecclesiastics, that is to say the priests, bishops and monks. The task of this stratum was to pray for the salvation of the rest of the population.
❚ The Warriors They were the middle stratum of the society and they had a divine mission to defend the entire population.
❚ Farmers were the lowest group in the societyand their God-given role was to work to support the rest of society—the orators and the warriors.
According to the Theory of the Three Ordersthat social organization had been created by God. And therefore, it was a perfect and immovable order, which could not be questioned. For this reason the Theory of the Three Orders worked like a justification of social inequality and labor exploitation of farmers that they carried out feudal lordshaving a great diffusion among the members of the medieval nobility.
More information:
Adapted from ES. 1 Social Sciences – Secondary Education – Buenos Aires – 2007 at www.abc.gov.ar,
The Medieval Church, in
Image:
Medieval manuscript illustration depicting a clergyman, a Nobel warrior, and a peasant, at wikipedia