Fourth Order and The Crisis of the Fourteenth Century

The 9th to 14th century marks a period of change, development, and, eventually, crisis and development of a new class known as the fourth-order. To understand these phenomena in-depth, one needs to understand all the points listed below. 

The Three Orders Of The Society

The division of people into orders can be well understood from the quote, “Here below some pray, others fight, others still work”. Society was sharply divided into three orders. Let’s briefly understand all these three orders. 

First Order

Some prominent features of the first order are-

• This class consisted of the bishop and clergy of the catholic churches
• The first order significantly influences society, and they are liable to pay a sum called tithe to them
• Women cannot be a part of the clergy. Hence they cannot be included in this order
• The pope is the first order residing in the city of Rome

Second Order

The second-order had the following key features –

• The second-order consisted of nobles, who were the vassals of the king
• Nobles were big property owners who had special privileges by a charter from the king. The residence of a noble is also known as a Manor
• They accepted the king as their seigneur and took oath in the church
• The second-order has been given judicial powers and can issue coins in their property 
• Nobles also have the right to raise an army, known as Feudal Levies

Third Order

The salient features of the 3rd order are – 

• It consists of people other than the one that falls in the first or second order
• Peasants are of two types: free and serfs. 
• Free peasants are liable to pay taxes known as taille
• Serfs Worked on lands owned by the nobles

Cathedral Towns

Cathedral towns are those towns that developed around large churches known as cathedrals. Fourth Order and The Crisis of the Fourteenth Century, cathedrals spread across France at the beginning of the 12th century. The primary features of these cathedrals are – 

• The monasteries controlled these cathedrals
• People who resided around such cathedrals contributed to its construction by providing raw material and manual labour
• Due to the church’s influence, the areas around these cathedrals attracted new people
• Subsequently, small towns, later known as cathedral towns, began taking shape around these pilgrimage centres
• The glasses of these churches were particularly stained with paintings, which tell tales from the bible to illuminate the interiors of these large churches
• Cathedrals became a centre of conjugation where masses were carried out in which monks sang songs and performed prayers
• The painted figures on the cathedral’s windows depicting stories from the bible also served as a source of knowledge for illiterate believers

Development of Towns 

The development in technology and the resultant growth in agriculture led to population growth in many places. The development of towns can be attributed to the following factors – 

• The quality of food improved, and thus the average lifespan increased
• This increased the life expectancy by ten years from what was there in the 8th century
• The emergence of new features such as town squares, churches, and streets paved the path for shops and homes
• Castles and churches increased in size

The Fourth Order

The development of towns led to prosperity and population growth in the town. By the end of the Roman empire, townspeople began fleeing towns, leaving the towns deserted. This changed with the development of towns. Deserted towns flourished with the growth in agricultural production.

The surplus in production increased, the number of craftsmen increased, and guilds, organisations of people from the same industry, developed, which eventually took control of trade and commerce. The quote “town air makes free” took the streets of mediaeval Europe, which led to a new class of workers, who were paid for their job and free from their lords’ clutches. This new class was what is today referred to as the fourth-order. 

Crisis of the Fourteenth Century

The thirteenth century witnessed a drastic decline in the pace of development, Causes that led to the Crisis of the Fourteenth Century. These factors are – 

• Europe experienced the most chilly winter at the end of the thirteenth century. This winter was more extreme than any of the last 300 years
• This made land coarse, and it was unable to produce crops
• Silver mines in Serbia and Austria were unable to produce enough silver to mint coins, which forced the king to amalgamate the silver coins with cheaper metals to maintain the circulation of coins
• The black death was the most significant event of this period. This period is marked by the spread of a deadly plague, which was carried with the merchant ships that arrived on the ports of Europe

CONCLUSION

The 9th century Europe saw the development of towns. We saw how churches became the centre of worship and population, leading to the development of cathedral towns. The development of towns gave rise to agriculture and population growth, eventually leading to the formation of a new order known as the fourth order.