The Three Orders: Cleric, Knight, and Workman [Image from the British Library MS Sloane 2435, f.85.]
bourgeoisie 1707, "body of freemen in a French town; the French middle class," from Fr. bourgeois, from O.Fr. burgeis, borjois (12c.) "town dweller" (as distinct from "peasant"), from borc "town, village," from Frank. *burg "city" (see borough). Communist use for "the capitalist class generally" attested from 1886.
The bourgeoisie began as, and largely remained, an urban class in the Middle Ages. One must understand the origins of the bourgeoisie in the context of urban development. Even though the medieval bourgeoisie were lumped in with peasants as "those who work" (the other two socio-economic groups in this tripartite order being "those who pray," the clergy, and "those who fight," the knights and nobles) they were, of course, distinct from their rural counterparts. The driving force of the rural, peasant economy was agriculture--and, indeed, peasants represented, according to some estimations, over 90% of the medieval population.
Agricultural surpluses can stimulate population growth and, most importantly, migration from the countryside to the town. Indeed, a town is at first distinct from the village because the urban economy relies on trade and manufacturing, not agriculture. Once a population can eat without having to rely on themselves for actually producing the food, then they can engage in other activities that do not involve farming.














