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The Medieval World: Social Structure |
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Note: The "Medieval World" pages were originally written for a friend of mine who was (and still is)
writing a fantasy novel, to provide some background information on how pre-industrial societies actually work. The
text remains unchanged from the original document.
In a medieval society, the vast majority of people are peasants. They are employed in subsistence farming, and either own or rent land. The ones who own land will have a slightly higher status than those who are merely tenants, but they will still generally owe some form of service to their local lord, either in the form of labour, or a tribute in kind. Some rural people will survive as agricultural labourers, who are paid to work for someone else, but they will be a minority. Such labour will always be needed, however, as during harvest time there is a need for as much labour as can possibly be found. Artisans will also be needed - skilled people who can make horseshoes, tools, etc. Their status will generally be no greater than that of the peasants, although urban artisans will often enjoy a wider range of rights and freedoms, due to their importance to the urban economy. Above the peasants, there is a complex series of local lords, squires, etc. and their servants. A small landowner owes allegiance to a larger landowner, and both may employ representatives to deal with the day to day running of their lands and the affairs of their tenants, rather than getting involved themselves. The great nobles, who dominate the content of the history books, sit at the top of a pyramid of allegiances. Each one has a series of lesser lords answering to them, as well as their own personal servants. Each of those lesser lords may well be the patron of a series of minor local figures, who in turn will have peasant farmers as their tenants. The minor lords seek the protection and patronage of the major lords, and in turn provide them with followers. Thus, day to day governance of much of the country is in the hands of the nobility. They ultimately control much of the land, and the people who live on that land. It is true that the king will have some land that is personally his, but he will rule most of the country through the nobility rather than directly through his own agents. Indeed, the estates of the most powerful nobles may be bigger than those of the crown. The king's strength comes not from the wealth at his personal command, but rather from the fact that the most powerful landowners in the country all owe him their allegiance. Hence, the king needs the nobility, and cannot raise armies or taxes without their co-operation. If he wishes to make war or suppress a revolt, the king will have to call on the nobles to deploy their followers accordingly. There was at this time no standing army. It is the job of the noble to rule and to fight, so members of the nobility would have the necessary skills and equipment to go to war, but they will only call up their followers as and when needed. The nearest thing to a professional soldier at this time was the medieval knight. Generally, the knight was slightly below the actual nobility, and was a fighting man who owed his allegiance to a particular lord. The knight would be granted a block of land by that lord, which he could either farm himself or let out to tenants, and which would supply his needs. In return, he was expected to be ready to fight whenever required. He would therefore need to be equipped with weapons, armour, etc., which was not a trivial expense, and would need to be a skilled horseman. The same skills and equipment would be required by the nobility when they went to war. To use weapons from horseback while riding fast over rough ground takes considerable skill. Only those who had long practice could do it. Hunting was not the traditional sport of the nobility solely because they happened to like it: it also provided invaluable training for warfare. It also no doubt provided quite a few injuries. Even among modern day fox hunters broken bones are commonplace, and we can safely assume that medieval hunts also produced regular injuries, from falls, collisions with low branches, and so on. The most famous casualty was King William II in the 11th century, who was accidentally killed by a crossbow bolt during a hunt. If a story should require a sudden dynastic crisis, just arrange a hunting accident. |
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Last Updated: 1 Oct 07 |  |
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