Social Class Chart
Kings
The king was the most important person in the kingdom besides and emperor or Pope. Kings were the ones who declared war, protected their people, and hosted massive banquets. One such king was Edward the Confessor, and Anglo-Saxon king. Below is an image of him.
Nobles
Nobles were given land by the king for their loyalty and given titles such as Duke, Count, or Barron. The definition, according to Google Definitions, is "belonging to a hereditary class with high social or political status; aristocratic.", "(especially in former times) a person of noble rank or birth.", and lastly "having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals." Here is an image of a noble:
Vassals, Paying Homage, and Fief
Vassals are knights and nobles, people who pledge allegiance to the king. The action of pledging allegiance to the king is paying homage. Rewards were given for paying homage such as fief, or a piece of land.
Knights
The Knights Code of Conduct includes the following:
- To fear God and maintain his Church
- The serve the liege lord in valor and faith
- To protect the weak and defenseless
- To give succour to widows and orphans
- To refrain from the wanton giving of offense
- To live for honor and for glory
- To despise pecuniary reward
- To fight for the welfare of all
- To obey those placed in authority
- To guard the honor of fellow knights
- To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
- To keep faith
- At all times to speak the truth
- To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
- To respect the honor of women
- Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
- Never to turn the back upon a foe
- To fear God and maintain his Church
- The serve the liege lord in valor and faith
- To protect the weak and defenseless
- To give succour to widows and orphans
- To refrain from the wanton giving of offense
- To live for honor and for glory
- To despise pecuniary reward
- To fight for the welfare of all
- To obey those placed in authority
- To guard the honor of fellow knights
- To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
- To keep faith
- At all times to speak the truth
- To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
- To respect the honor of women
- Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
- Never to turn the back upon a foe
A Twelfth Century Knight
A Fifteenth Century Knight
Life in a Peasant Village
90% of people in the Middle Ages were peasants. An average peasant village was home to as little as ten families and as high as sixty families. The homes were made of straw and mud. Each small hut had a small garden outside and inside there was hardly any furniture besides possibly a loom, a couple of tables and chairs and a chest. Look below to see an image of life in a peasant village, and below that to see life in a peasant village.