Clergy
Also called: First order · Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 4 "The Three Orders"
Meaning
The clergy was the first order of medieval society, the people 'who pray'. It included bishops and priests, who guided Christians in their faith. They belonged to the Catholic Church, headed by the Pope in Rome. Bishops were the 'religious nobility', with huge estates and grand palaces.
Example
Some people could not become priests: serfs (peasants bound to a lord's land), the physically challenged and women. Priests were not allowed to marry. The clergy lived partly on the tithe, which was one-tenth of what peasants grew each year.
Don't confuse with
- Monks: monks lived apart in abbeys (monasteries) and followed rules of prayer, study and manual labour. Unlike the priesthood, monastic life was open to both men and women, who were called monks and nuns.
Related concepts
- Catholic Church
- Papacy
- Tithe
- Monasticism
- Benedictine order
- Friars
- Hildegard of Bingen
- Canterbury Tales