Feudal Social Estate

Feudal society was traditionally divided into three "estates". The "First Estate" was the Church receiving their authority from God; the "Second Estate" was the Nobility receiving their authority from the clergy; and the "Third Estate" was the commoners receiving their authority and rights from the nobility. It was common for aristocrats to enter the Church and many were able to shift from the second to the first estate. The estates were also, traditionally, gender specific, meaning they are defined by what a man does for a living as much as by the social class into which he was born.

The First Estate provided the moral authority and framework for the entire feudal system; in essence they set the rules of the game. The nobility fought and …show more content…
The first estate has been taken over by the media and academic elites. In comparison to the clergy in Medieval times, they are in a position to define the moral order for overall society. The have a great amount of influence. Many times the media in Feudal times was referred to as the Fourth Estate. This is because they were outside of the overall power structure as it existed back then, but still had a strong influence resulting in power. The press has often played a significant role in shaping the course of politics, and has been viewed as an important force in government, because of this it has been referred to as the fourth estate in relation to the other three traditional estates of the church, the nobility and commoners. It’s importance is immense, especially by informing citizens and closes the loop between the government and the voters. However, today, the media is very much integrated into society. Education has also aided the media in the way they mold the minds of citizens beginning at an early age. It is this collection of influence that determines what is and is not acceptable in