Medieval Society

The Three Orders: Summary

That's about enough on the traditional view of medieval society. It's not a bad way to approach it, but especially when it comes to the towns, it's not descriptive enough. Its strength is also its weakness: it lets us view medieval society from the way medieval people viewed it. But that also limits us to their point of view.

We can tell it was inadequate in part because as we get into the later Middle Ages, writers almost invariably created more complex structures involving significantly more than just three groups. We can also tell it's inadequate because it doesn't explain all sorts of social interactions for which we have lots of evidence. So it's time to move on to our next vantage point: solidarities.

History of Western Civilization

E.L. Skip Knox
Boise State University

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