Bourgeoisie

views updated

Bourgeoisie

All Renaissance societies were hierarchical, with some groups or classes having higher status than others. The bourgeoisie was the class of burghers, the respectable master craftsworkers, shopkeepers, and merchants who formed the backbone of urban society. Laws determined who had burgher status. However, unofficial social standards set aside certain members of the bourgeoisie as an urban elite*—a small group that controlled a great deal of wealth and political influence.

The law gave burghers certain political and social privileges. For example, only they could become full members of guilds*. Some towns gave legal protection to their burghers when they traveled to other areas. If one of them became involved in a dispute, the town would stand for him or her in court. Burghers also took part in cultural events in their cities, such as processions and plays. In the 1520s, Amsterdam opened an orphanage specifically for the children of burghers. Burghers supplied the manpower for urban militias*, and some took positions in government.

Despite these privileges, only a few burghers enjoyed high social status. These were often members of old and respected families. Other factors linked to high status were wealth, public office, and professional positions (especially in the field of law). The urban elites guarded their position by choosing their members carefully. In some places, such as Venice, laws gave members of certain families the right to participate in government, keeping outsiders from joining the elite. Central and northern Italy and part of southern Germany adopted similar standards in the 1500s. "Golden books" listed the names of all male members of elite families, not including illegitimate* children. However, in some German towns, outsiders successfully challenged the dominance of old families.

Economic change sometimes affected social status. In England, some trading families rose to the elite as they built wealth. However, a loss of wealth did not necessarily mean a loss of status. When the economies of Spain and Italy slowed in the early 1600s, elite families' fortunes shrank, but their social position stayed the same.

Members of the elite struggled to distance themselves from those of lower social ranking. They lived in certain areas within each city and married only within their own social group. Sumptuary laws, which specified what clothing people of different classes could wear, attempted to stop the lower classes from imitating the dress of the elites. Other laws limited the size of celebrations among the lower classes. However, members of the elite were often willing to use their social status to help their "inferiors." They took lower-status children as godchildren, acted as guardians of widows and orphans, and sponsored people who applied for burgher status. Such actions helped them earn the support of the lower classes, a useful political asset.

The elites often imitated the lifestyles of the aristocracy*. They might spend money on luxuries, adopt coats of arms*, or use formal titles when addressing each other. In Italy and Spain nobles settled in towns and joined the local elite. In England and other places, members of the nobility and the elite intermarried. However, the elite remained separate from the aristocracy. Nobles suspected elites of social climbing, and elites did not always trust the nobles completely. Elites had strong loyalties to their towns, many of which had histories of clashes with nobles.

(See alsoAristocracy; Cities and Urban Life; Clothing; Guilds; Luxury; Social Status. )

* elite: privileged group; upper class
* guild: association of craft and trade owners and workers that set standards for and represented the interests of its members
* militia: army of citizens who may be called into action in times of emergency