Three classes Notes in English Class 11 History Chapter-4 Book-Themes in World History
0Team Eklavyaजून 08, 2025
Three classes
1. Pastor
2. Classic
3. Farmer
After the fall of the Roman Empire , many groups of German origin in Eastern and Central Europe took over the territories of Italy , Spain and France .
At this time there was no strong organized political force , due to which wars were frequent here , in such a situation it became very important to gather resources to protect one 's land . In this way the center point of the social structure was control over land .
From the fourth century onwards , the state religion of the Roman Empire , Christianity , survived the fall of the Roman Empire and gradually spread to central and northern Europe . The church had also become a main landholding and political force in Europe .
The focus of this chapter is on three classes , these three classes are three social categories :
1. Christian pastor
2. Landholding elite
3. Farmer class .
The changing relations between these three classes were an important factor shaping the history of Europe for several centuries .
Feudalism
The word ' feudalism ' is derived from the German word ' feud ' which means - a piece of land
This refers to a society that developed in central France and later also in England and southern Italy .
Historians have used the term ' feudalism ' to describe the economic , political , social and legal relations of medieval Europe .
If we look at feudalism in economic context , it indicates agricultural production which is based on the relationship between lord and peasents .
Farmers ( farmers ) not only worked on their own fields , but also worked on the lord 's fields .
The peasants provided labor services to the lords and in return they gave them military protection .
Along with this the lord also had extensive judicial powers over the peasants .
Therefore feudalism took over not only the economic but also the social and political aspects of life .
France and England ( How did Gaul become France ?)
Gaul was a province of the Roman Empire .
The province of Gaul had mountain ranges , rivers , forests and vast plains for agriculture .
The Franks , a Germanic tribe , gave their name to Gaul , turning it into France .
From the sixth century onwards , this region was ruled by the Frankish or Christian kings of France .
The French had deep ties with the Church . The Pope had given King Charlemagne the title of Holy Roman Emperor , and King Charlemagne supported the Pope , which further strengthened their ties .
Three classes
The first class is the clergy class
French priests believed in this concept
that every person is a member of one of the three classes depending on the function .
One bishop said " Here in class order some pray , others fight , and the rest do other activities . "
Thus the society was mainly composed of three classes clergy , aristocracy and peasantry .
The Catholic Church had its own rules
To the church , the king had given land from this land they could collect taxes . The church was therefore a powerful institution not dependent on the king . The president of the Western Church was the Pope , who lived in Rome .
In Europe , the Christian society was guided by bishops and priests . Most villages had their own churches where people gathered every Sunday to listen to the sermons of the priest and to pray together .
Not every person could become a pastor If a man wanted to become a pastor he could not marry . Bishops were considered elite in the field of religion . Bishops , like lords , had extensive estates and lived in magnificent palaces .
The Church had the right to take the tenth part of his produce from the farmer in the interval of one year , which was called ' Tithe ' .
Some of the most important ceremonies of the formal customs of the Church were copies of those of the feudal nobility . Bowing on the knees with folded hands and bowed head when praying , was an imitation of the method adopted by the knight when he swore allegiance to his superior lord .
Similarly , the use of the word Lord for God was an example of feudal culture entering the church worship rooms . Thus many cultural feudal customs and practices were adopted into the church world .
Second Class Aristocracy -
The clergy placed themselves in the first category and the aristocracy in the second category but in reality , the aristocracy had an important role in the social process .
The reason for the important role of the aristocracy was their control over the land .
This led to the development of a practice called Vassalage .
The French rulers were connected to the people because of a practice called ' Vassalage '
This practice was equally prevalent among people of Germanic origin , including the Franks .
The large landowners and the aristocracy were both subject to the king while the peasants were subject to the landowners .
The aristocracy considered the king as their senior and were committed to each other
The seigneur / lord protected the slave ( vassal ) and in return he was loyal to him .
These relations involved elaborate rituals and the exchange of oaths
That was done by taking a Bible oath in church . In this ceremony , the slave ( vassal) was given a written right of authority or a staff ( staff) or simply a pot of clay by his master as a symbol of the land he owned .
The aristocracy had a special status in society as they had complete control over their property permanently .
They could raise their own military force , called feudal levies . They could hold their own courts and even mint their own currency . They were the owners of all the people living on their land .
They were the owners of large areas which included their houses , their personal fields , holdings and pastures and the houses and fields of their tenant - peasants . Their house was called ' Manor ' .
Their individual land was tilled by farmers these had to act as foot soldiers in time of war if needed as well as work on their farms .
The manor of the manor
The lord had his manor - house . He controlled the villages and many lords were the owners of many villages
A small manor might have a dozen families , and a larger one might have 50 or 60 families .
All items of daily use were available on the estate
Grain was grown in the fields , blacksmiths and carpenters maintained the lord 's tools and repaired weapons , while masons maintained his buildings .
Women made cloth and children worked in the lord 's wine presses . Estates had large , dense forests where the lord hunted .
There were pastures where their cattle and horses grazed . There was a church and a fort for protection . From the thirteenth century onwards , some forts began to be made larger and could become the residence of the knight 's family .
Castles were unknown in England before the Norman Conquest and they developed as centres of political administration and military power under the feudal system .
Menors could never be self - sufficient as they had to obtain salt , millstones and metal utensils from outside sources .
Lords who wanted to live a luxurious life and purchase costly goods , musical instruments and jewellery which were not available locally had to procure such things from other places .
Knight class
In Europe , from the ninth century onwards , most wars were local .
Peasant soldiers were not sufficient for these wars so a skilled cavalry was needed .
It was the need for skilled cavalry that promoted a new class called knights ( Knights ) .
They were related to the lord in the same way as the lord was related to the king .
The lord gave the knight a tract of land ( called a fief ) and promised to protect it .
The fief could be inherited .
This could have been 1000–2000 acres or more , and included a house for the knight and his family , a church , and accommodation for those dependent on him , in addition to a watermill and wine press for him and his family .
Like a feudal manor , the fief 's land was tilled by peasants .
In return , the knight would pay his lord a certain sum of money and promise to fight on his side in battle .
To maintain their military qualifications ,
Knights spend their time each day building fences / seiges and practicing tactics and battle techniques with figurines .
He used to study his defense .
A knight could render his services to another lord but his first loyalty was to his lord .
From the twelfth century onwards, singers travelled around the manors of France , telling stories of the heroic deeds of valiant kings and knights in the form of songs that were partly historical and partly fictional .
At a time when there were not many literate people and manuscripts were also not many , these wandering bards were very famous .
Monk
Apart from the church there was another kind of institution of some particularly devout Christians .
Some highly religious men , in contrast to the priests who lived among the people in towns and villages ,
He liked to live a solitary life .
They lived in religious communities called abbeys or monasteries , which were often far from the general human population .
The two most famous monasteries were that of St. Benedict , founded in Italy in 529 , and that of Cluny , founded in Burgundy in 910 .
The monk took a vow to devote all his life and time to prayer , study and agriculture .
Unlike priestly vocations , the monastic life could be adopted by both men and women .
Such men were called Monks and women were called Nuns .
Except for a few monasteries , most of them could be inhabited by persons of the same sex . There were separate monasteries for men and women . Like priests , monks and nuns could not marry .
From the thirteenth century onwards , groups of monks called friars
He decided not to stay in the monastery .
He traveled from one place to another giving sermons to people and made his living by giving .
Church and society
The Europeans had become Christians but were still to some extent attached to miracles and rituals.
He did not give up his old faith.
From the fourth century onwards, Christmas and Easter became important dates on the calendar; the birthday of Christ on 25 December replaced an older pre-Roman festival.
Easter symbolizes the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection.
The work-burdened farmers welcomed these holy days/holidays because
Because these days he did not have to do any work.
Although this day was meant for prayers, people generally spent most of its time having fun and feasting.
Pilgrimage was an important part of Christian life, and many people made long journeys to visit the tombs of martyrs or major churches.
Third class – Farmers are free and bonded
The third class was the peasantry
It was a large group that fed the first two classes
Farmers were of two types
1.Independent farmer
2.Slaves ( serfs )
Men were required to contribute to military service (at least forty days a year).
The families of the peasants had to set aside three or more days a week to go and work on the lord's estates.
The production from this labour, which was called 'labour surplus', went directly to the lord.
Apart from this, they were also expected to perform other labour tasks such as digging pits, collecting firewood, building fences and repairing roads and buildings for which they were not paid any wages.
In addition to helping in the fields, women and children had to perform other tasks as well. They spun yarn, wove cloth, made candles, and pressed grapes into wine for the lord's use.
In addition there was a direct tax called Talle, which the king occasionally levied on peasants (the clergy and aristocracy were exempt from this tax).
The serfs used to farm the lord's land for their living, so most of their produce also went to the lord.
They also farmed on plots of land that were owned solely by the lord. They did not receive any wages for this and could not leave the estate without the lord's permission.
Serfs could only grind flour in their lord's mill, bake bread in his oven, and brew wine and beer in his wine liqueur.
The lord could decide whom the serf should marry or give his blessing to the serf's choice
England
Feudalism developed in England from the eleventh century.
In the sixth century, Angles and Saxons from Central Europe settled in England.
The name of the country England is a transformation of 'Angel Land'.
In the eleventh century, Duke William of Normandy crossed the English Channel with an army and defeated the Saxon king of England.
At this time, France and England were frequently at war due to disputes over territorial boundaries and trade.
William I had the land measured and mapped, and divided it among the 180 Norman nobles who had accompanied him.
Factors influencing social and economic relations
1. Environment
2. Land use
3. New agricultural technology
From the fifth to the tenth century, most of Europe was covered with vast forests. Hence the land available for agriculture was limited.
Farmers could flee from there and take refuge in forests to escape oppression. At this time, there was a period of intense cold in Europe. Due to this, winters became severe and long. The growing period of crops became shorter and due to this the agricultural production decreased.
From the eleventh century onwards a period of warming began in Europe and the average temperature increased which had a good effect on agriculture. Farmers now started getting a longer period for agriculture.
Due to less impact of frost on the soil, farming could be done easily.
There was a significant reduction in forest areas in many parts of Europe, as a result of which agricultural land expanded.
In the beginning, agricultural technology was very primitive. The only mechanical aid the farmer had was a wooden plough drawn by a pair of oxen.
This plow could only scratch the surface of the earth. It was unable to fully extract the natural productivity of the land. Therefore, agriculture required a lot of hard work.
The land was usually dug by hand once every four years and required a lot of human labour.
Also, an ineffective method of crop rotation was being used. The land was divided into two parts, one part was sown with wheat in autumn while the other land was kept fallow and rye was sown on this land the following year.
As a result of this system, soil fertility declined and famines became frequent. Chronic malnutrition and devastating famines alternated, making life extremely difficult for the poor.
New Agricultural Technology
There is evidence of changes in various technologies by the eleventh century .
The plough , which was originally made of wood , was replaced by ploughs with heavy iron tips and mould boards .
Such plows could be dug deeper and the rammed earth could be properly turned over .
As a result , the nutrients in the soil were better utilized .
There was improvement in the methods of harnessing animals to ploughs . Instead of neck harness , the yoke was now tied on the shoulder .
This gave the animals more strength . Now iron hoofs were put on horses ' hooves to secure their hooves .
Wind and water power began to be used for agriculture .
More water- and wind - powered factories were being set up in Europe to grind grain and press grapes .
There was also a change in the way land was used .
Most revolutionary was the change from a two- farm system to a three- farm system .
In this system , the farmer could use his land for two out of three years provided he sowed one crop in autumn and the other in spring after one and a half years .
This meant that farmers could divide their holdings into three fields . They could sow wheat or rye in autumn in a field for human consumption . In the second , peas , beans and lentils could be sown in the spring , and barley and millet for the horses , while the third field was kept fallow . Every year they used to experiment with the three farms .
Because of these improvements , production increased rapidly . Theavailability of food doubled . The increased use of plants such as peas and beans became a source of more protein in the diet of an average European and good fodder for their animals .
As a result,farmers started getting better opportunities . They now started producing more food on less land . By the thirteenth century , the average size of a farmer 's field decreased from a hundred acres to twenty to thirty acres .
Smaller holdings could be farmed more efficiently and required less labour .This gave farmers time for other activities . Some of these technological changes were very costly .
The farmers did not have the money to set up watermills and windmills sothe initiative in this matter was taken by the Lord .
Peasants began to expand the area undertheir cultivation , adopt a three - crop rotation , and establish village blacksmith shops and forges to make and repair iron - tipped ploughs and horseshoes at affordable prices .
Fourth class
New towns and townspeople Agriculture expanded, and with it population, trade and towns The population of Europe was growing rapidly People were getting better food, which increased the life expectancy. By the thirteenth century the average European could live ten years longer than in the eighth century.
Women and girls had shorter life spans than men because men ate better food. After the fall of the Roman Empire, its cities were deserted and devastated.
But from the eleventh century onwards, when agriculture expanded and became able to bear the burden of a larger population, towns began to grow again. Farmers who had more food than they needed felt the need for a place where they could set up a sales centre and from where they could buy their tools and clothes.
Due to this need, small marketing centers were developed which gradually started developing the characteristics of cities. People settled in the cities, facilities were available here. There was a famous saying 'City air makes one free'. Many serfs who wanted to be free would run away and hide in the cities.
A serf who managed to hide from his lord for a year and a day would become a free citizen.
Most of the people living in the cities were either free peasants or runaway serfs who were unskilled workers. Shopkeepers and merchants were in abundance. Later there was a need for people with specialised skills like moneylenders and lawyers.
The population of the big cities was about thirty thousand. It can be said that they had formed a fourth class in the society.
'Guild'
The basis of the economic institution was the 'guild'. Every craft or industry was organized as a 'guild'. This was an institution that controlled the quality of the product, its price and sale.
'Shreni Sabhagar' was an essential part of every city.
The guards patrolled the city to keep the peace,
Musicians were called upon to perform at banquets and civic processions, and innkeepers looked after travellers.
By the eleventh century, new trade routes were developing with western Asia; Scandinavian merchants sailed south across the North Sea to obtain furs and falcons in exchange for textiles.
English merchants came to sell tin. By the twelfth century, commerce and crafts had started to develop in France.
Previously, artisans had to move from one manor to another but now they found it easier to settle in one place where goods could be produced and then traded for their livelihood.
As the number of towns increased and trade expanded, the town merchants became richer and more powerful
Cathedral Town
Wealthy merchants donated their wealth to churches. From the twelfth century onwards, large churches, called cathedrals, began to be built in France.
Although they were the property of the monasteries, various groups of people contributed to their construction with their labour, goods and money.
Cathedrals were huge churches made of stone and took many years to build.
While they were being built the area around the cathedrals became more populated, and when they were completed the sites became places of pilgrimage.
Thus, small towns grew up around them. Cathedrals were built so that the priest's voice could be heard clearly in the hall where the people gathered, the songs sung by the monks could be heard more melodiously, and the bells calling people to prayer could be heard from a distance.
Stained glass was used for the windows. During the day sunlight made them bright for those inside the cathedral, and after sunset the light of candles made them visible to those outside.
The pictures on stained glass windows depicted Bible stories that even illiterate people could 'read'.
Crisis of the Fourteenth Century
By the beginning of the 14th century, Europe's economic expansion had slowed down due to three factors.
In northern Europe, by the end of the thirteenth century the hot summers of the previous three hundred years had been replaced by intensely cold summers.
Growing seasons became shorter and it became more difficult to grow crops on higher ground.
Storms and floods destroyed many farm establishments, resulting in less tax revenue for the government.
The fertility of the land had decreased due to lack of proper land conservation.
Due to lack of pastures the number of animals decreased.
The population grew so fast that the available resources fell short, this happened due to famine.
Severe famines struck Europe between 1315 and 1317, followed by animal deaths in the 1320s.
Along with this, due to the decrease in production of silver mines of Austria and Serbia, there was a huge shortage of metal currency, which affected the trade.
Due to this, the government had to reduce the purity of silver in the currency and mix it with cheaper metals.
As commerce expanded in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, trading ships from distant countries began arriving on European shores.
Along with the ships came rats, bringing with them epidemic infections like the bubonic plague (Black death).
Western Europe was badly affected by the epidemic between 1347 and 1350.
Cities, being trade centres, were affected the most.
In the monasteries and ashrams, when one person got infected with the plague, it did not take long for everyone to get sick and in almost every case no one survived.
The plague affected infants, young people and the elderly the most. This plague was followed by relatively small episodes of plague in the 1360s and 1370s.
The population of Europe fell from 73 million in 1300 to 45 million in 1400
This devastation combined with economic recession led to widespread social displacement.
Due to decline in population there was a huge reduction in the number of workers.
A serious imbalance occurred between agriculture and production as there was a sharp decline in the number of people required to perform both tasks.
The prices of agricultural produce fell due to a lack of buyers. The great demand for labour in England after the plague, especially agricultural labourers, caused wage rates to rise by up to 250 percent.
The remaining labour force could now demand double their old rates.
Social discontent
The income of the lords was badly affected. The main reason for the decline in the income of the nobility was the rise in wage rates and the fall in agricultural prices. In desperation, the lords broke the money contracts they had recently adopted and reintroduced the old wage service.
This was followed by violent protests by peasants, especially the educated and prosperous ones.
Peasants revolted in Flanders in 1323, in France in 1358, and in England in 1381.
These rebellions were brutally suppressed. The most violent rebellions took place in places where economic expansion had led to prosperity.
This was a sign that the peasants were trying to preserve the gains made over the previous centuries. The intensity of the peasant revolts, despite severe repression, ensured that the old feudal relations could not be reimposed.
The money economy was too developed to be reversed so, although the lords were successful in suppressing the revolts, the peasants ensured that the old days of slavery would not return.
Political Changes
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries European rulers increased their military and financial power.
The powerful new states they created for Europe were similar to the economic changes taking place at the time. Historians began to call these kings 'the new monarchs'.
Louis XI in France, Maximilian in Austria, Henry VII in England, Isabella and Ferdinand in Spain were all autocratic rulers who began the process of establishing organised standing armies, a permanent bureaucracy and a national taxation system.
Spain and Portugal opened up new possibilities for Europe's overseas expansion. The social changes that took place during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were the most important reason for the success of these monarchies.
The merging of the feudal system of vassalage and lordship and the slow pace of economic development gave these rulers the first opportunity to increase their control over the influential and common people.
The rulers stopped collecting taxes from the feudal lords for their army and instead created a trained army equipped with guns and big cannons which was completely under their control.
By raising taxes, rulers gained enough revenue to maintain larger armies than before.
In this way they protected and expanded their boundaries and suppressed internal resistance to the monarchy.
The aristocracy opposed this; a common issue in the protests against the monarchy was taxation.
There were rebellions in England which were suppressed in 1497, 1536, 1547, 1549 and 1553.
In France, Louis XI (1461-83) had to wage a long struggle against the dukes and princes.
Nobles and members of local assemblies also protested the forceful usurpation of their power.
The Crusades in sixteenth century France were to some extent a struggle between royal privilege and regional independence.
The elite made a clever change to ensure their survival. Instead of remaining opposed to the new regime, they quickly transformed themselves into royalists.
For this reason, royal absolutism is considered a refined form of feudalism.
The subsequent history of France and England was shaped by changes in these power structures.
In 1614, during the reign of the child Louis XIII, France held a session of the Consultative Assembly, called the Estates General (which had three houses representing the three classes of clergy, nobility and others).
After this, it was not convened again for two centuries until 1789 because the king did not want to share his power with the three classes.
The Anglo-Saxons had a Great Council in England even before the Norman Conquest. The king had to seek the advice of this council before levying any taxes.
This later evolved into a Parliament consisting of the House of Lords, composed of lords and clergy, and the House of Commons, representing towns and rural areas.
King Charles I (1629-40) ruled for eleven years without calling a Parliament. The Anglo-Saxons had a Great Council in England even before the Norman Conquest.
The king had to take the advice of this council before imposing any tax. This later developed into the Parliament
This included the House of Lords, whose members were lords and clergy, and the House of Commons, which represented cities and rural areas.
King Charles I (1629–40) ruled for eleven years without summoning Parliament.
