What is “the commons” in medieval society?

The story behind the answer

In medieval political language, “the commons” meant the broad mass of people outside the nobility and clergy—peasants, townsfolk, and tradespeople. Records of English parliaments from the 13th–14th centuries speak of “the Lords” and “the Commons,” the latter petitioning the king and consenting to taxation. This is distinct from “common land,” which refers to shared fields and pastures.

As one of the three estates (those who pray, those who fight, those who work), the commons gradually gained a collective voice. In England, knights of the shire and burgesses sat together in the House of Commons, shaping national policy by linking tax approval to redress of grievances. After shocks like the Black Death, wage pressures and revolts further highlighted the political significance of this group.