Both Uses of
medieval
in
The Communist Manifesto
- An oppressed class under the sway of the feudal nobility, an armed and self-governing association in the mediaeval commune; here independent urban republic (as in Italy and Germany), there taxable "third estate" of the monarchy (as in France), afterwards, in the period of manufacture proper, serving either the semi-feudal or the absolute monarchy as a counterpoise against the nobility, and, in fact, corner-stone of the great monarchies in general, the bourgeoisie has at last, since the…†
- The mediaeval burgesses and the small peasant proprietors were the precursors of the modern bourgeoisie.†
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Definition:
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(medieval) relating to or belonging to the Middle Ages
(European history from about 5th to the 16th centuries that is often thought of as a time of instability, superstition, plagues, feudal lords, and knighthood)editor's notes: The Middle Ages began with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, and was followed by the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery.