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Social Classes in World History
Several important social classes in
history
Medieval Europe
500 AD to 1500AD
Social Classes
• Medieval Europe (the Middle Ages) had a social class
based called “Feudalism”
• Feudalism was the political, economic, and social
interaction of upper class knights and nobles with
lower class peasants and serfs, all who lived on
manors.
• Feudalism is also the political and social interaction of
the upper class nobles only.
Medieval Europe
500 AD to 1500AD
• Medieval Europe (the Middle Ages) had a
social class based called “Feudalism”
• Feudalism was the political, economic, and
social interaction of upper class knights and
nobles with lower class peasants and serfs, all
who lived on manors.
• Feudalism is also the political and social
interaction of the upper class nobles only.
MEDIEVAL LIFE
Cooperation and Mutual Obligations
KING
Fief and Peasants
FEUDALISM:
POLITICAL SYSTEM
 Decentralized, local
government
 Dependent upon the
relationship between
members of the nobility
 Lord and his vassals
administered justice
and were the highest
authority in their land
Military Aid
Loyalty
LORDS (VASSALS TO KING)
Food
Protection
MANORIALISM:
ECONOMIC SYSTEM
 Agriculture the basis for
wealth
 Lands divided up into
self-sufficient manors
 Peasants (serfs) worked
the land and paid rent In
exchange for protection
Shelter  Barter the usual form of
exchange
Homage
Military Service
KNIGHTS (VASSALS TO LORDS)
Food
Protection
Farm the
Land
PEASANTS (SERFS)
Shelter
Pay
Rent
Feudalism
A political, economic, and social
system based on loyalty and
military service.
The Feudal System
• Under the feudal
system, the king
awarded land
grants or fiefs to his
most important
nobles and knights
in return for their
loyalty and
contribution of
soldiers for the
king's armies.
Feudalism:
•
• Hierarchical
•
system in
which every
•
noble is
•
another noble’s
vassal
•
(servant)
•
• Land was
•
exchanged for
military service
Manor: estate
Noble: wealthy warrior land
owner
Lord: noble. head of manor
Knight: nobles who were
warriors
Vassal: noble who serves a lord
Peasants: lower class farmers
Serf: peasants who bound to the
land owned by the lord of the
castle, they could never leave
the manor they lived on; much of
their income went to the lord; no
chance to change your life if you
were a serf; no way to work your
way up; no time for theater, etc.
Feudalism
KINGS:
• Kings at top of
hierarchy
• As God’s deputy
on earth (“divine
right of kings”),
can’t question the
king’s authority
BARONS:
• Important noblemen
• Rich and powerful
• Land was almost the only
form of wealth; Currency
money barely existed:
Rank and power were
determined by the
amount of land you had.
Feudalism
LORDS (KNIGHTS):
BISHOPS:
• first and foremost a
• Of the church
lord was a knight by
• Were often of equal
profession: provided
power to barons; had
men
and
arms
for
property and wealth
baron and king.
• Also often raided
Fief [feef]: grant of
each others’
land given directly by
properties.
the king; in return,
• Chivalry: medieval
nobelmen gave the
institution
of
king soldiers in
knighthood; qualities
wartime.
idealized by knights—
bravery, courtesy,
honesty
Nobles and Vassals
• Nobles divided their
land among the
lesser nobility, who
became their
vassals. Many of
these vassals
became so powerful
that the kings had
difficulty controlling
them.
The Lord of the Manor
• For safety
and defense,
people in the
Middle Ages
formed small
communities
around a
central lord or
master.
Feudalism: FREEMEN:
FREEMEN: Free Peasants
• owned their own land independently of
a lord
• In early feudalism, freemen were
limited to the LORDS’ APPOINTED
OFFICIALS, and A FEW MERCHANTS
AND CRAFTSMEN (much more in later
middle ages as economy changed).
Feudalism: SERFS
SERFS/VILLEINS:
• More than 90% of
Peasants who were
the population
not free to leave
their home.
were peasants or
• Lived on the lord’s
slaves, according
manor.
to the Domesday
• Peasants’ work:
Book (pronounced
EVERYTHING—land,
animals, animals’
Dooms-day, and
dung, homes, clothes,
DOES mean that;
BELONGED TO THE
suggests it is a
LORD OF THE
MANOR.
definitive census).
• Couldn’t leave the
manor property
without permission
The Serfs
• At the lowest level of
society were the serfs,
also called serfs or
villeins.
• The lord offered his
peasants protection in
exchange for living
and working on his
land.
Hard Work & High Taxes
• Peasants worked hard
to cultivate the land
and produce the goods
that the lord and his
manor needed.
• They were heavily
taxed and were
required to relinquish
much of what they
harvested.
Bound by law and custom…
• It is the custom in England, as with
other countries, for the nobility to have
great power over the common people,
who are serfs. This means that they
are bound by law and custom to
plough the field of their masters,
harvest the grain, gather it into barns,
and thresh and winnow the grain; they
must also mow and carry home the
hay, cut and collect wood, and perform
all manner of tasks of this kind.
-- Jean Froissart, 1395
Feudalism
A political, economic, and social
system based on loyalty and
military service.
How to become a Knight
KNIGHT
SQUIRE
PAGE
Chivalry: A Code of Honor and Behavior of
knights
The Manor
• Most people
lived on a
manor, which
consisted of
the castle (or
manor house),
the church,
the village,
and the
surrounding
farm land.
The Medieval Manor
Life on the Medieval Manor
Serfs at work
Self-Sufficiency
• Each manor was largely selfsufficient, growing or
producing all of the basic
items needed for food,
clothing, and shelter.
• To meet these needs, the
manor had buildings devoted
to special purposes, such as:
– The mill for grinding grain
– The bake house for
making bread
– The blacksmith shop for
creating metal goods.
Question 6
What is the difference between feudalism and
serfdom?
A) Feudalism ties people to the land but serfs
can move around freely.
B) Feudalism is an agreement between upper
class individuals and serfs, who are lower
class peasants.
C) Serfs are able to own land if they serve in the
army but feudal lords must pay their soldiers.
D) None. They are different terms for the same
thing.
Medieval Japan
500 AD to 1500AD
Social Classes
• Medieval Japan also had a social class based on
“Feudalism” like Europe, but also on Chinese
“Confucianism”
• Feudalism was the political, economic, and social
interaction of upper class knights and nobles with
lower class peasants.
• Confucianism was a Chinese philosophy which
stressed respect for elders and for authority. It
also emphasized education.
The emperor
reigned, but did
not always rule!
Feudal
Society
Feudalism
A political, economic, and social
system based on loyalty, the holding
of land, and military service.
Japan:
Shogun
Land - Shoen
Land - Shoen
Protection
Daimyo
Samurai
Peasant
Loyalty
Daimyo
Samurai
Peasant
Loyalty
Samurai
Peasant
Food
Peasant
Japanese Feudal Society
Name
Characteristics
Samurai
Warriors. Could carry two swords. Had
power of life and death. Were also
educated and did government jobs
Peasants
Due to Confucianism respect for farming,
peasants were the second highest class.
They could own land and produce food,
but were not allowed to own swords.
Artisans/Craftsmen
Artisans had skills to make useful items,
such as furniture, pottery, jewelry, bread,
or any other items. They could make
more money than peasants, but could
not own land.
Merchants
Merchants were the lowest class and
were hated because they seemed to
cheat others. They did not make
anything, only sold what others made.
Japanese Feudal Society
Other Vocabulary
Definition
Emperor
Not really the leader of japan. More like
a religious leader. Similar to the Pope in
Europe
Shogun
Real military leader of japan. Like the
king in Europe.
Daimyo
Wealthy nobles and land owners. They
employed samurai
Samurai
Warrior knight and government workers
who were employed by daimyo
Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi
(1536-1598)
Unifies Japan
Creates strict social class.
Samurai top, but cannot own
land
Tries to invade
Korea, but fails.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Four-class system laid down with marriage
restricted to members of the same class! 
 Top class: Samurai. Can carry swords but
not own land
 Second Class: Farmers. No swords, but can
own land
 Third Class: Artisans, made things.
 Bottom class: Merchants. Very low. Like
modern drug dealers
Full Samurai Attire
Full Samurai Attire
Two swords: katana
(long sword) and
wakisashi (short
sword).
Long bow: yumi
Light, flexible, armor:
yori
Helmet: kabuto
Samurai Sword
Early Mounted
Samurai Warriors: mainly archers.
Mongols anyone?
Samurai Charging with Yari
(spear with sword head)
Seppuku:
Ritual Suicide if a samurai lost
honor or was disloyal
It is honorable to die
this way.
Kaishaku – his
“seconds”
Feudalism in Europe
A political, economic, and social system
based on loyalty, the holding of land, and
military service.
European Feudalism:
King
Land - Fief
Lord
Land - Fief
Protection
Knight
Peasant
Loyalty
Lord
Knight
Peasant
Loyalty
Knight
Peasant
Food
Peasant
Medieval Warriors
vs
Japanese Samurai
European knight
Medieval Warriors
vs.
Samurai Armor
Knight’s Armor
Hiroshima Castle
Japanese Peasants
Japanese Village and Rice Paddies
Japans Native Religion: Shinto
Shinto (神道) is the indigenous
religion of Japan. It is a set of
practices to establish a
connection between the living
and spirits (kami) which inhabit
everything.
Japanese emperors were the
head of Shinto (like the Pope in
Western Europe) and they
performed the most important
Shinto rituals.
Amaterasu
Shinto
Shinto
Priests and
archery
Japanese borrowed Religion:
Zen Buddhis
A Japanese
variation of Buddhism,
which came from
India through
China.
It reinforced the
Bushido values of
mental and
self-discipline.
Zen Buddhism
 Seeks sudden enlightenment through
meditation, arriving at emptiness .
 Samurai followed Zen because it
required intense concentration, just like
warfare did.
 Beauty, art, and aesthetics:
 Gardens.
 Archery.
 Tea ceremony.
 Calligraphy.
Zen Buddhism
 Intense concentration doing activities in a
precise manner can trigger sudden
enlightenment.