Original link: https://headsalon.org/archives/9034.html
【2022-01-14】
@whigzhou: There is a situation that seems to have not received enough attention,
In medieval England, the servants who took care of various affairs for the nobles were usually only a little lower than the masters. For example, the queen’s maids were often the daughters of the duke’s family, and many of the duke’s entourage were baron or baron’s family Unmarried sons are at least knights, and knights also have their own followers, who are often esquires or gentlemen, or at least rich farmers like yeomans or franklins,
Moreover, this small status gap is often temporary. A knight serving as a entourage to a certain earl may be a child of another earl’s family. Maybe he will inherit the title in a few years, and his status will be evened out. Even if the heir is not known at the time of service, there is always the possibility that all brothers will die,
In a nobleman’s castle, the above-mentioned levels of entourage often appear at the same time: the baron brings several knights to serve the duke’s house, and the knights also bring their own esquire or yeoman followers, so appearing in the duke’s house In fact, most of the hundreds of people who are not directly the duke,
This multi-level structure becomes especially full during wars, because manpower is particularly needed in wars, and the lord will ask his subordinates to bring as many people as possible.
Conversely, it can also be said that it is precisely because of military needs that this hierarchical feudal structure was created. Therefore, when there is no war, this structure is also used to handle daily affairs, including the lord’s housework and various things in the territory. Such as rent collection, accounting, procurement, housekeeping, communication, defense, burglar hunting, hunting, building roads and bridges…
This is in stark contrast to some other societies. In the rich and powerful families of ancient China, the social status of servants was very distant from their masters, and many of them were not even free. In Arabia and Ottomans, these things were trade made for slaves,
What I just thought of is that this difference in the status and distance of the master-slave relationship may lead to quite far-reaching social consequences. The close-distance master-slave relationship means:
1) The communication posture between the master and the slave will be more equal and respect each other.
2) Subordinates are more daring to express independent opinions, including opinions that are contrary to the views of the master, and these opinions are more likely to be listened to and fully discussed,
3) Because the subordinates have a higher status, they are more independent, and they will not be lost if they leave the lord, especially those subordinates who are not vassals, and there is no statutory obligation of lifelong service, they can choose to leave and go to another mountain,
4) This in turn also means that their loyalty is more likely to be genuine if they continue to serve,
5) The master’s entrustment to subordinates is often more sufficient. A common problem in the master-slave relationship is insufficient authorization. You are required to do things but you are not authorized, you are not given resources, you are not trusted, and you are bound everywhere. If the subordinate status If he is very high, he will not accept this situation, which will damage his dignity. Secondly, his high status and his own entourage also endow him with sufficient executive power to undertake entrusted tasks and act independently within the authorization ,
6) A clear and effective entrustment relationship is the prerequisite for developing a complex organization. Otherwise, responsibilities and functions will always be inseparable.
These organizational consequences have gradually expanded from the initial internal affairs and territorial affairs of the lord’s house to local public affairs, and even the country’s deliberation mechanism and political structure. The lower levels are slaves to their superiors. When they turned around, they faced another group of slaves.
@whigzhou: China is actually not without exceptions. Two obvious exceptions are the friends of Ming and Qing officials, and the tutors hired by wealthy families. They are all famous people, and the gap between status and lord is relatively small, (then No one mentioned this in many comments, the level of fans can be seen)
@_dailu_: I recently started reading “Game of Thrones” and found many details that I didn’t pay attention to when watching the drama. For example, Robert and Ned were both Arryn’s attendants, and they were like brothers long before they joined forces. When Ned went to King’s Landing, he planned to bring Bran with him, but Aunt Cat was reluctant. He said: Bran has reached the age of leaving home to be a servant, and King’s Landing has more suitable “masters”. Obviously, from his personal experience, being a servant is the first step in the network of life.
@whigzhou: Yes, and this kind of relationship network is deep. The servants either cooperate with the lord, or interact with each other because of the lord’s affairs. They are not friends who eat, drink, and go shopping together.
This article is transferred from: https://headsalon.org/archives/9034.html
This site is only for collection, and the copyright belongs to the original author.