SOCIETY

The society of the seventeenth century was still a pyramid society.

• Privileged social classes:

• King: Around the whole society revolved. The closer you were to him, the more important you were.

• The nobles with title: It was a very close group, for its greatness. Normally, they also owned manors. The bought of titles was a common practice.

• The knights with lordship: The wealthy knights owners of a manor were those who more easily happened to have title, because within the nobility, the hierarchy was established according to the degree of wealth.

• The hidalgos and squires: The hidalgos constituted the lowest estate of the nobility scale. They did not have titles, but, on the other hand, they kept some noble privileges, such as tax exemption.

• The urban classes:

• Main people: They were great merchants who supplied the cities and the court

• High civil servant: These were state officials, real secretaries, magistrates, counselors, judges, scribes ...

 

• Small traders : They owned small businesses that lived from that commercial activity. His income was not very high.

• Rural classes:

• Rich farmers: A small sector (5%) and very powerful in  the city.

• Small traders: They owned small businesses that lived from that commercial activity. His income was not very high

• The outcasts

Beneath the productive social classes there lived  an abundant group of marginalized, among which stood out the rogue.

• Beggars: Begging was regulated.

• Thieves: According to their way of working, they were grouped into different classes: cicatrists, devotees, apostles, satyrs, capeadores ...