SOC 1200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Primogeniture, Social Stratification, Aristocracy
13 May 2017
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Document Summary
In middle ages england had caste-like system of aristocracy . Aristocracy included leading church members, spoke with authority of god . Clergy were local priests (not members of aristocracy), lived simple lives . Church leaders referred to as the first estate . Rest of aristocracy referred to as second estate made up barely 5% of the population : heredity nobility, royal family (king, queen), less nobles (dukes, earls, barons, owned most of nation"s land o. Wealthy due to landholdings: when they died, aristocrats devised the law of primogeniture. Required all property to pass to the oldest son or male relation. Below the high clergy, vast majority of population were called commoners (third estate) : most were serfs working land owned by nobles or church o. Industrial revolution, commoners began making more money and challenged the nobility : gave rise to class system.
