Change In Social Class In The Middle Ages

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The Middle Ages was a period of time where people were separated by a boundary placed by society. Depending on an individual’s wealth, his status in society would vary. By increasing their volume of wealth, an individual can increase their social status. To such a degree, wealth can be described as a necessity which determines the quality of an individual’s life and how he will be viewed upon by society. The non wealthy accepted their fate due to the fact they believed god arranged their life. For this reason, change in social class was rare. The prominent social classes were: the nobles, the merchants, and the peasants/serfs. They each lived a different lifestyle and faced different obstacles in life.
Starting with the nobles, nobility could either be inherited or earned by becoming a knight. Nobles lived a lavish lifestyle where they ordered their serfs to do their work. They had the power to collect taxes, enforce laws, raise armies and coin their own money. In addition to wealth, land was also an important factor that determined a person's status in the Middle Ages. Lords, or nobles who owned land and granted fiefs to vassals, …show more content…
Both lived in a period in which freedom was nonexistent. Due to their poverty, they were looked down upon by the society and leaving the social class was very rare. This is due to the fact that the money in which they earned were used to pay for their children's’ expenses and rent. Similar to peasants, serfs provided the production of cloth, candy, soap, brooms, and containers. They both worked at the land in return for protection and shelter. However, the main difference between the two was that serfs were bound to the land while peasants were not. In short, the life of a peasant and serf both revolved around manual labor and service to their lords. Nonetheless however, some peasants and serfs will escape from their lord’s manor into towns in hopes to pursue a better
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