medieval society
Lords and serfs
Medieval society refers to the social organization of Europe during the Middle Ages, roughly the 5th through 15th centuries.
The term typically evokes feudalism—a hierarchical system of lords, vassals, and serfs bound by obligations of land and labor.
References to medieval society often carry connotations of rigid class structure, limited social mobility, and church dominance: Their workplace hierarchy feels like medieval society.
- serfBonded agricultural laborer
- lordNobleman or ruler
- feudalismLand-for-service social structure
- marketVenue for trade
- social hierarchyStratified arrangement of status
cathedral · nobility · monarchy · coat of arms · knight errant · guild · crop rotation · Gothic architecture · pilgrimage · scholasticism · vassal · troubadour · illuminated manuscript · squire · trial by combat · pope · blacksmith · crusade
- Chaucer's WorldCanterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, Middle English, 14th century, pilgrimage
- heritage organizationsheritage trust, heritage center, national heritage, heritage societies, SAR
medieval societyindustrial society
Civilization centered on manufacturing
information age · contemporary society · classical antiquity · digital age · prehistoric society
medieval societydemocratic society
Polity ruled by citizens
liberal democracy · democracy · egalitarian society · constitutional republic · representative government
medieval societyclassless society
System without social strata
egalitarian society · open society · meritocracy · social mobility · free society