At the beginning of the early modern period, you had two classes: peasants and aristocrats.
IDK, I think that’s a bit of an oversimplification. Not everyone was either an aristocrat or a peasant, there were also tradespeople, craftsmen, innkeepers, merchants, traders, bankers, and of course the clergy (who would often wield enormous power themselves, even over the aristocrats, because they generally had to give their blessing to whatever the rulers decided to do).
None of these really fit neatly into the peasant/aristocrat dichotomy (except perhaps for the clergy), but I suppose one could lump the rest of them all in together and call them middle class (or townsfolk). Not all of them were rich, of course (in fact, many were probably not), but some of them did quite well for themselves.
Clergy is the one I would say most breaks the dichotomy.
All the others listed still lack the title and privileges that come with nobility. There is some nuance I skipped over: different laws for urban citizens vs rural peasants. But a peasant could become an urban citizen by fleeing their land and living in a city for a year and a day, after which their former lord could no longer claim them.
IDK, I think that’s a bit of an oversimplification. Not everyone was either an aristocrat or a peasant, there were also tradespeople, craftsmen, innkeepers, merchants, traders, bankers, and of course the clergy (who would often wield enormous power themselves, even over the aristocrats, because they generally had to give their blessing to whatever the rulers decided to do).
None of these really fit neatly into the peasant/aristocrat dichotomy (except perhaps for the clergy), but I suppose one could lump the rest of them all in together and call them middle class (or townsfolk). Not all of them were rich, of course (in fact, many were probably not), but some of them did quite well for themselves.
Clergy is the one I would say most breaks the dichotomy.
All the others listed still lack the title and privileges that come with nobility. There is some nuance I skipped over: different laws for urban citizens vs rural peasants. But a peasant could become an urban citizen by fleeing their land and living in a city for a year and a day, after which their former lord could no longer claim them.