Estates of the Realm

Feudal society during the Renaissance era was traditionally divided into three “estates” modernly described as the “social classes.” The First Estate was the Church; clergy, the Second Estate was the Nobility; knights as well as aristocrats, and the Third Estate was the Peasantry; farmers. These estates are thus divided into three groups depending on the nature and line of work held by the individual.

Unlike men, women were classified into three “famine estates.” This classification was determined through their sexual relations rather than their profession. The first included the virgin, the second the wife, and the third the widow.

This division of society into “estates” slowly saw its ending throughout the later Middle Ages, ultimately forming the classification of the modern world. This classification slowly sees its turn through the rise of the merchant peoples, along with the artist and intellectuals. This social order progressed due to the intellectuals who ratified the existence of the estates through philosophy, theology, and common knowledge.

This time period was progressively marked through the economic and political power under the “nobility." Cities and towns were the centers of wealth endurance and creativity. Although the basic autonomy of cities and towns varied from state to state; the Holy Roman Empire towns had a dramatic degree of independence because of the Empire’s loose confederation. This included hundreds of different political “units,” including independent cities. This lack of a centralizing bureaucracy in the Empire contrasts with the highly centralized monarchy in England.
Ultimately, at its very core the Estate all worked together and were inner-related. This can be understood through the diagram below, which underlines the extremes of reliance and the importance of cooperation through all three estates. 

The first Estate seemed to defy order and "call the shots." This was followed by the Second Estate which exhibited the fellowship of the rules presented by the authority. They kept the political as well as the economical part of society in tact for the Third Estate. The common folk. These "peasants" belonged to the great majority of Europeans at this time, and most were just beginning work and re-establishing their daily workload. This establishment  was very difficult for the working class after the Plague plague and rise in society proved difficult. Although there were many peasants who moved to independent city-states because of their surprising economic growth, this could not cure the continuous gap that continued to grow socially and economically between the three groups.