Divisions of Medieval Society. There are many different ways in which medieval society was divided. The most striking division was that between the clergy and laity, those who had adopted a fully religious lifestyle and those who, although believers, went about their economic and social lives immersed in the world around them. The subdivisions of each of these groups give greater nuance to their character. The clergy was divided into the secular or worldly clergy and the regular or monastic clergy. Divisions of lay believers could be made with regard to their proximity to the clerical vocation with third order brothers and sister ranking the closest. Social class structure might also follow the most usual outlines of the economic categories of peasant, artisan, merchant, and noble. Even specific subdivisions of medieval society played a significant part...