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?