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Use this medieval illustration to answer the following question:

A colored manuscript page depicting several layers of society. At the top are the clergy and the pope. The king is at the center dressed in blue, with a royal covering over his shoulders. In the middle, surrounding the king, are the lords and knights. Each of the knights is wearing an armor-plated uniform and facing the head lord in the middle. At the bottom are the serfs. Dressed in colorful but plain clothing, the serfs are looking downward or to the side.
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What does this illustration say about medieval perceptions of society?

There was a clear social hierarchy in medieval society.
The knights and lords were of lower status than the king.
It was relatively easy to rise from the peasantry to become a knight.
The king had no true allegiance to religious figures or the pope.

User Arturhoo
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2 Answers

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Answer: A) There was a clear social hierarchy in medieval society.

Step-by-step explanation:

in the picture or in this case a description it specifically says the the serfs are at the bottom the king and knights are in the middle and the pope is at the top, and in medieval time the church overruled everything so it makes sense that the pope is at the top and we also know that serfs or slaves are always the lowest class we know why they are at the bottom.

User Fadd
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It is very important to remember that medieval society functioned under very clear and well-defined stratas that originated from the belief of where power came from and who was who as determined by the strong religious belief of the time. Religion, particularly Christianity, played a major role in how medieval Europe formed socially and how people interacted as well. As such, given the illustration provided, this is what can be said.

First, the reason for the clergy and the pope being at the top was that in medieval times it was believed that God, and therefore his representatives, were at the head of society. They were in charge of blessing rulers selected by God. It was from divine power that all human power and social structures derived. The king, being the God-appointed earhtly power, was the heart of the social structure and from him all other levels derived. On one side, the king has the lords, men given the right by birth, not merit, to support the king and surround him, while the knights were men whose military prowes endowed them to protect the king and the land. While a noble´s function was to council the king, the knights were entrusted with the king´s protection. Finally, the serfs, or servants, were all people of low-born origin, poor in nature and without any important or noble ancestry, over who the king ruled and who were the basis of all medieval societies. The reason for the colors is to ascertain that this social ranking was acceptable to all members of society, even the serfs and the reason for not looking directly at the king, his lords, or the knights, is because they were believed to be too lowborn and unworthy to look at the higher hierarchies.

User MattClarke
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