Non Nobles In Medieval Europe

“The non-nobles of medieval Europe were powerless, impoverished (culturally and/or economically), and miserable” is a common misconception on the Middle Ages. Indeed, since the stories and sources we got are often from the nobility, about it and written for it. Moreover, in general, there is no that much materials and records about peasants, since most of them were iliterate and lived in perishable houses. That does not necessarily mean that the non-nobles were completely absent, but they are usually depicted as inferior to the nobles. Nevertheless, peasants and urban population were actually the core of the mediaval society, they were way more numerous than the nobles and their work was essential for the nobles to survive. Therefore, it seems absurd to consider the non-nobles as miserable and powerless, since the society could absolutely not function without them. …show more content…
The peasants indeed were really targeted during the Hundred Years War, especially by the English chevauchée, during which they rampaged the countryside to ruin the crops and demoralize the population. The depictions of urban life are also usually filled with details about garbages, air pollution, prostitution and many other death perils, but cities are more complex than this basic vision. I will argue that, contrary to this pessimistic vision, peasants and urban dwellers were fairly important throughout the Middle Ages and managed to make the most of the opportunities given to them, even if, of course, the nobility remained on top of their