Social Class in Medieval England

Monday, March 10th CP (1, 5, 7)

Do Now

1. Grab a whiteboard and marker and prepare to answer the questions that follow.

Do Now

What is a “Social class?”

Do Now

How many social classes are there in our society today?

What is a Social Class?

A group of people who have similar positions in a society’s economic system in terms of

wealth, status, power, and access to resources

Social Class Triangle

Social Class in Modern United States

• # of classes = arguable– Different sources = different divisions of class and

percentages • Breakdown by one source:– Lower Class = 15-20%– Working class = 30-40%– Middle class = 40-50%• Lower middle class• Upper middle class

– Upper class = 1-3%

One Source: Social Class in Modern United States

Lower class Working class

Middle class Upper class

Social Class in Modern United States

• Lower Class – homeless, poverty, unemployed• Working class – unskilled laborers, poorly

educated– Factory workers, craftspeople– Deliverymen, restaurant workers– Little chance to advance career– Blue collar workers = dangerous jobs• Carpenters, plumbers, electricians

Social Class in the United States• Middle class – two groups:– Lower middle – less educated people w/ lower

incomes• Teachers, secretaries, small business owners

– Upper middle – highly educated businesspeople, high incomes• Doctors, lawyers, CEOs, engineers, professors

• Upper class – over 25% of U.S. wealth – Institutional leadership– Lower-Upper – people who earned money from

business and investments– Upper-upper – inherited wealth

Turn & Talk

How do you feel about the breakdown of classes in the U.S. as presented in these

slides? Do you agree or disagree?

Discuss with a partner for 2 minutes. Then report your opinions with your

whiteboards.

Now let’s take a look at social class in Medieval England.

Medieval English Society• Three “estates”– Estate – a political or social group that has unique

powers• 1. Nobility • 2. Church • 3. Common people

Three Estates of Medieval England

Common People / Middle Class

• Took care of the basic needs of society• Various levels – Upper middle class• Merchants, doctors • Made decent amount of money

– Dishonesty

– Peasants = poorer agricultural workers

Check-In

What similarities do you see between the division of social classes in our society today and the division of classes in Medieval England?

Meet the PilgrimsRULING CLASS & NOBILITY CHURCH COMMON PEOPLE

KnightSquireFranklin

MonkPrioressFriarParsonSummonerPardoner

YeomanMerchant (middle class)Clerk Sergeant-of-the-LawTradesmenCookShipmanPhysicianWife of BathPlowmanMillerMancipleReeveCanon’s Yeoman

Activity (Pd. 1)• 1) Find your partner with the same pilgrim.• 2) Use iPads to look up info about your assigned

pilgrim– Google pilgrim’s name + “Chaucer” or “Canterbury

Tales” • Find out at least 5 details about the

pilgrim/person in society– Identify social class– Explain what he/she did for a living– 3 other facts (personality, clothing, looks, etc.)

• 3) Submit a hard copy of your answers when finished (one per group

Finish Pilgrim Activity (Pd. 5 & 7)

• 1. Finish Friday’s iPad pilgrim search activity• 2. If you finished on Friday, please read the

comments on your sheet, which will be returned to you or your partner.

• 3. Please make any revisions requested in the comments.

• 4. Be prepared to share your information with other students.

• 5.

“Jigsaw” Activity

• 1. Find other pairs of students whose pilgrims share the same estate as yours (stay tuned!).

• 2. Take turns introducing your pilgrims and 5 facts to the rest of your group.

• 3. Once all pairs in the group have shared, reflect on the shared info to discuss what your estate of society was like. Come up with a list of at least three characteristics for your estate.

• 4. Write the three characteristics in the box for your estate in the triangle on the back whiteboard.

• 5. Stay in your groups when finished. Be prepared to talk about your pilgrims and these conclusions with the class.

Class Discussion of Estates

1st Estate: Nobility

TheKnight

The Squire

The Franklin

1st Estate: Nobility

• King and royal court– Always worried about money– Tried to centralize power all the time

First Estate: Nobility

• Other nobility– Knights = right below ruling class• 14th century: 1,000 knights in England

– Envious of king’s powers– Tried to decentralize power– Favored war– Lots of land, but little money– Disliked royal court’s excessive lifestyle

2nd Estate: The Church

The Monk

The Friar

The Pardoner

The Prioress

The Parson

The Summoner

The Nun’s Priest

2nd Estate: The Church

• 13th century: 1 in 50 men were clerics• Archbishop of Canterbury = head of Anglican

Diocese– Like the Pope for the Catholic Church

• 17,500 monks and nuns• Increasing education for Church leaders and

worshipers • Dishonesty • People wanted independence of church and state– Taxes were paid to the Pope = angered the kings

3rd Estate: Common People

Commoners: Two LevelsWealthier workers Poorer workers

MerchantSergeant-of-the-LawTradesmenShipmanPhysicianWife of BathMancipleReeve

YeomanCanon’s YeomanClerkCookPlowmanMiller

The Wife of

Bath

The Physician

The Merchant

The Reeve

The Shipman

The Manciple

Sergeant-of-law

The Five

Tradesmen

The Clerk

The Cook

The Cook

The Miller

The Knight’s Yeoman

The Canon’s Yeoman

The Plowman

The Host,Harry Bailey

Whiteboard Review

Name one (1) experience Chaucer had and explain how it might have inspired his writing.

Writing Activity: Answer the following questions in at least 8 total sentences.

• a) Describe an experience you’ve had in which you have interacted with a wide variety of other people (school, job, volunteering…).– Make sure you explain in detail what the

experience was and what you did. • b) What did you learn from the people with

whom you interacted? • c) How did the experience influence you as a

person?

Whiteboard Questions

• 1. What is a pilgrimage?• 2. What does the word “vernacular” mean?• 3. What language did Chaucer write in?