Social Hierarchy, Exploration, and Reformation
Social Structure: Privileged and Non-Privileged Estates
Society was divided into privileged and non-privileged estates.
The Privileged Estates
The privileges included:
- Not working
- Not paying taxes
- Inheriting and owning titles and land
- Receiving rent
- Occupying important governmental positions
- Special laws
The Nobility
The nobility’s basis was not having to work. Their original function was to defend society, but only in times of war. In general, the high nobility consisted of Dukes, Counts, and Marquises. Below this level were knights who also possessed land, then the class of “noblemen” with no lands or wealth, and finally squires. Many were big landowners with peasants on their lands. During periods of crisis, especially in the 17th century when their rents were drastically reduced, they tried to increase their income by obliging the peasants to work more, pay more taxes, and in some cases, they even took away their lands. In England and in the coastal Basque regions, the nobility started to take part in new activities of industry or commerce, or tried to obtain more profits from their lands by applying new technology.
In other places, they maintained their original traditions.
Causes of the Age of Exploration
- The fall of Constantinople
- New navigation techniques
- The compass
- The astrolabe
- New kinds of ships (the Caravel)
- Cartography (Portolans)
- Political and economic reasons
Need to Reform the Catholic Church
- Ignorant rural clergy
- Sale of indulgences
- The High Church was rich but forgot its objective
- Denouncements of corruption, richness, and vice (Thomas More, Erasmus)
- Discuss the authority of the Pope
Protestant Reformation
- Martin Luther
- John Calvin
- Anglicanism (English Church)
- Henry VIII
Martin Luther
- 95 theses
- Excommunicated
- Religious division
- Many wars
- Political reasons
Charles V
- Defend Catholic Church
German Princes
- Defend Protestantism
- Less power for the emperor
Charles tried to convince Martin Luther (but failed). Council of Trent – Counter-reformation
- Attack protestant ideas
- Reforms for the Catholic Church
- It didn’t stop the division
Reformation in the Basque Country
- Navarre became protestant
- Joanna III of Albret
- Bible into Basque (Leizarraga)
- Henry III of Navarre became Henry IV of France
- Reconvert to Catholicism
Universal Nobility of the Basques
All Basques were by foral rights (special laws). To have a noble title gave them a special social status, enabling them to work in the administration and to obtain better posts in the army but:
- It depended on land; only landowners could be noble.
- They could obtain administrative jobs.
- Rich depending on the land.
- No taxes but “donations.”
- Only people who were literate could work in government offices.
The Clergy
- High clergy: nobles, rich, high salaries
- Regular clergy: Abbots and Abbesses, big properties
- Low clergy: Salaries from the landowners
Basque Country
- “Jauntxos” owned churches
- Important role in society
- Literate, contact with people
- Collect church taxes
The Non-Privileged Estates
The Bourgeoisie
- Related to the growth of cities
- Mainly in northern Europe
- Importers, exporters, administrators, bureaucrats, accountants
- Commercial bourgeoisie (merchants and bankers)
- High bourgeoisie
- More power than nobility
- No privileges
- Became nobles
- Marrying
- Buying titles
- New nobility/Blood nobility
- Some Basque women
Peasantry
- Most numerous group
- Based on the land they owned
- Owners
- Tenants
- Workers
- Decreasing of owners
- Plague, bad harvests, droughts, famine, taxes
- Sell land to nobles or bourgeoisie
- Basque coastal regions
- Small lands
- Work on nobles’ lands, emigrate to cities, artisans, servants, beggars
The Outcasts
- Outside the society
- Had left a noble’s land
- Ill, poor, handicapped
- Religious or ethnic reasons: Jews, Moriscos, Cagots (Basque Country)