Changing Social Hierarchies
We . . . order the said Jews and Jewesses of our kingdoms to depart and
never to return or come back to them or to any of them.
—Ferdinand and Isabella, Edict of the Expulsion of the Jews, 1492
Learning Objectives
- M: Explain how social categories, roles and practices have been maintained or have changed over time.
As societies faced rebellions from outside and within, social hierarchies
began to develop and transform. In Europe, the treatment of Jews showed that majorities treated non-majority ethnic groups in different ways. Jews had been expelled from England (1290), France (1394), and, as stated above, Spain (1492). The Ottoman Empire, however, provided a safe haven for Jews fleeing discrimination in Europe.
Throughout the world, civilizations developed distinctive social hierarchies. Different groups—including royalty, nobility, landowners, scholars, and soldiers—sought power and influence. In some societies, merchants and artisans began to form a middle class. And peasants, serfs, poor people, and enslaved people often struggled to stay alive.
Many states created policies that discriminated against some groups based on religion, ethnicity, or social class. For example, Huguenots—French Protestants in the predominantly Catholic country—suffered great persecution, and many fled to other European countries or to colonies. States also supported the formation of elite classes, including the boyars in Russia and the nobility in Europe. These elites both supported ruling power and challenged it.
Sections
Social Classes and Minorities in Gunpowder Empires
Manchu Power and Conflicts in the Qing Dynasty
European Hierarchies
Russian Social Classes
Political and Economic Elites in the Americas
Think As a Historian: THINK AS A HISTORIAN: EXPLAIN THE PURPOSES Of EvIDENCE
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Reflect
REFLECT ON THE TOPIC ESSENTIAL QUESTION
1. In one to three paragraphs, explain how social categories, roles, and practices were maintained or changed from 1450 to 1750.
AP Exam Practice
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