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In several different regions of medieval Europe, and continuing in some countries to the present day, the estates of the realm were broad divisions of society, usually distinguishing nobility, clergy, and commoners (whilst various realms inverted the order of the first two, commoners were universally tertiary.) This last group was, in some regions, further divided into burghers (also known as bourgeoisie) and peasants. Legislative bodies or advisory bodies to a monarch were traditionally grouped along lines of these estates, with the monarch not belonging to any estate. Meetings of the estates of the realm became early legislative and judicial parliaments (see The States).