The great chain of being Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The great chain of being - Term Paper Example The hierarchical links defined all the aspects of the community including religion, politics and social scopes. Although there was great resistance to change and the kings fought against distortion the great chain, change was encroaching into this kingdom. The government developed policies that allowed distortion of these systems leading to change in the political, social and religious structures. By the end of the 18th century, it is clear that the change had taken place and the great chain was considerably broken. In this light, the various efforts dedicated to maintain balance failed, paving way for new government structures. In the Tudor dynasty, the great chain of being was a universal hierarchy that was both independent and interdependent. The top of the chain was God, who the people believe to have the greatest power over them and worshipped Him. The spirits and Angels followed in this hierarchy. Among human beings, there were divisions between various categories of people. They were categorized as gentlemen, the citizens and Burgesses, the Yeomen, and the laborers in the order of decreasing power (Bucholz and Key 4-5). As you trespass down the chain, the level of power reduced and the people become more subject to others. This hierarchy also defined the way they passed over power from one generation to the next. For instance, King left their power to their successors while Knights were appointees. The belief that prevailed is that this order was universal and there was no way that it would change. The kings maintained a centralized government structure by vesting all the power on the governance. A c hange of this structure was tantamount to sin and it would lead to imbalance of the hierarchy. With this kind of belief, the system remained fixed and the kings had the responsibility to defend this order and maintain the balance of the chain. The Kings fought against any changes in the formal government