Tea at Trianon: The Medieval Village Hierarchy

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, May 1, 2022

The Medieval Village Hierarchy

From Ancient Origins:

When we mention the medieval hierarchy today, some clear-cut connections start popping up immediately – castles, lords and knights, peasants and serfs. And it is no strange thing that these images are quickly associated with a medieval village – because it is a closely accurate depiction of what the social classes were like back then. Of course, it was slightly more complex than that, but you get the gist of it. Power was the crucial driving force of medieval society – land holders and lords were the ones who held all influence.
Of course, the highest title in a medieval society was that of a ruler – usually the king. The law bringer king had the highest authority in his realm and brought all important social and economic decisions. The royal household that consisted of princes, princesses and the queen was directly below him in the hierarchy, and was often present at the courtly meetings and involved in big decisions.

As you might expect, royal families of the medieval period were rarely idyllic and functional – the greed of the nobility was a well-known thing, and heirs to the throne would more than often attempt to usurp the throne. Fathers were murdered, sons exiled, and brothers assassinated. But those who held power would always emerge victorious. And power was flesh – manpower would win wars and resolve conflicts. The more adherents a ruler had, the more power.

For the large part of the medieval period and the era of feudalism, and throughout much of Europe, a system called manorialism was in effect. The manorialism system revolved around the lord of the manor, a feudal lord who either held his lands directly from the crown, or was a vassal of another, more powerful lord. (Read more.)