Models of Perceiving Social Reality in the Middle Ages

Abstract

The article considers the views of contemporaries about the social structure of the Western European Middle Ages. Social knowledge has represented these ideas in interpretative schemes (models), operating with the ancient concept of ordo. Medieval authors understood ordo metaphysically — as the „order“ of the world order and as an „estate“, i.e. the part of the world created by God, which has its place and purpose. In public consciousness, there were two parallel models of perception of the social order, which can be arbitrarily described as “hierarchical” and “functional”. The earliest interpretation scheme was based on the New Testament (2 Tim. 2:4 and 1 Cor. 9:14; 1 Tim. 5: 1) and divided society into “two estates of the Church” (duo ordines ecclesiae), i.e. to „clerics“ (clerici) and „laity“ (laici), which vary in their way of life and occupation. In the year 400 monasticism appeared, also having a specific “life form”. Therefore concept of social order formulated by Augustine and then by Gregory the Great, had noted the existence of “the three estates of the Church” (tres ordines ecclesiae) — clerics, monks and laity. Both models were hierarchical, because they justified the priority nature of service to God. At the turn of the X–XI centuries in the process of differentiation of new professional groups (knights, peasants), the model of the “three estates of the Church” has been rethought. “Estates” are defined in it in accordance with their functions: “oratores (praying)”, “bellatores (fighting)” and “laboratores (working)”, each of them working as a part of the whole for the rest, which meant the equivalence of their functions. The scheme of the tres ordines ecclesiae existed until the beginning of the New Time, constantly adding new social realities. The highest point of its socio-historical impact is the consolidation of peasants and townspeople into one “estate”, later called in France the “third estate” (tiers état, tiers membre), whose social and economic existence was predetermined by work and lack of privileges.