Knights, Servants, Death: on the Mention of Commoners in the Statutes of Late Medieval Franconian Nobiliary Societies

The article focuses on the interaction between the lower nobility and other social classes in medieval society, refl ected, in particular, in the mentions of various categories of commoners in the statutes of Franconian nobiliary societies. The presence of such references in the most important organizational documents indicates the fundamental importance of regulating such communication. Drawing on the Society of the Clasp and Society of the Swan materials, the authors determine the functional and social purpose of the aforementioned categories of commoners within the organizational structure of noble societies. Their presence demonstrates the versatility and dynamism of relations between noble and non-noble members of society in the Late Middle Ages.