Power and Equality

How was the Medieval concept of power and equality different from our contemporary concept?

The medieval people had many different ideas of power and equality than we do today. The life someone was born into, whether it be a knight, a peasant, a slave, or so on, would be the life they would live forever. Today, we accept that everyone is equal. Some people may be richer or have more opportunity, but equality is our ideal. In the medieval world, you were born, lived, and died in inequality. This system governed the medieval world for centuries. In modern times, we can be born without money and rise to become very rich and wealthy. We are not categorized into groups. In the middle ages, a noble's life was worth six times a peasant's. If one person killed another, they would have to pay for it according to the deceased's social class. "The value of your life was determined by the class into which you were born." There were three fixed classes/orders that the people were divided into: those who pray, those who fight, and those who work. Our lives are very different today. We are all given opportunity, treated as equals, and are not put into social classes.

Youtube. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaHvtxFqxjc&feature=related>.

Picture Source:

Flickr. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/william_attard_mccarthy/3643594550/>.