ABSTRACT
Many of the greatest cultural achievements of the medieval period occurred between 1050 and 1300, in what is known as the High Middle Ages. Feudal society at this time was strictly hierarchical, and it was organized around three major groups: nobles, peasants, and clergy. The medieval nobility usually made up less than five percent of the total population, but to a large degree it dominated medieval society. The nobility had its origins in the war bands that had surrounded Germanic kings and chieftains, and in the regional administrators who had been appointed by Merovingian and Carolingian kings. The vast majority of people who lived in Europe during the Middle Ages were peasants—that is, poor farmers. Among the peasantry, however, there was an important distinction between free peasants and unfree peasants, also called serfs. Throughout the Middle Ages, besides free peasants and serfs, there were also small numbers of slaves in Europe who could be bought and sold.
