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The medieval period in Europe witnessed significant changes that transformed society. Improved farming techniques, such as iron tools and the three-field crop rotation system, increased food production, leading to a larger population and expanded trade. With decreasing invasions, trade fairs became common, stimulating the growth of early cities. Merchants banded together for capital investment, while Jewish moneylenders emerged due to restrictions on Christian lending. This period also saw the rise of a new middle class and the establishment of guilds, shaping the dynamics of towns and social classes.
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Changes in Medieval Europe The times they are a-changin
Farming improves • Wooden tools are replaced with iron • Farmers switch to three-field crop rotation- 1/3rd used for grain, 1/3rd for legumes, 1/3rd unplanted • Produced more food this way, which led to: • Bigger population
Trade expands • By the 1000s, warfare and invasions began to decrease, and people felt safe enough to travel
Trade expands • Trade fairs were established at intersections of trade routes • When winter came, fairs ended, but roads were not easily traveled • Merchants would gather near a castle or town for winter, which attracted artisans to produce goods for them to sell • This led to the first of the medieval cities
Trade expands • The towns asked the king for a charter • Charter- a written document setting down the rules for a town or city • Most included a clause that if you lived there for enough time, you would belong to that town • Popular with runaway serfs
Trade expands • As trade expanded, so did the need for money • So did the need for capital- money used to invest in a business • Merchants would join together in partnerships to invest in a business that would be too expensive on their own
Blacksmith Joe Blacksmith Bob Makes 50 horseshoes/month $50 each Makes 100 horseshoes/month Can make 500 horseshoes/month $7000
Trade expands • People still needed loans from other sources • The church did not allow Christians to loan money with interest • Since they were banned from other jobs, European Jews stepped into this role and became moneylenders • Though they played an important role in helping business, this led to an increase in anti-Jewish beliefs
Tenant farmers • Nobles now wanted money to purchase new goods • Began to allow peasants to buy their freedom • By 1300, most former serfs were now tenant farmers- farmers who paid the noble to rent his land to farm for themselves • Some nobles hired former serfs to work the land for them
Middle Class • The merchants and artisans that gathered in these towns formed a new middle class • Nobles…. • Didn’t like the new class. Towns and cities became annoyances they could not control
Middle Class • New middle class members represented themselves in guilds • Guild- association of either merchants or artisans • Merchant guilds controlled towns, passing laws, taxing the people, and using that money to improve the town • Craft guilds were made of people in one particular trade. They set prices and regulate rules of the trade • No one could work in any trade if not a guild member • Conflict between craft guilds and merchant guilds led to violence
The Towns • Cities quickly became overcrowded • People began adding stories to houses • Towns nothing more than narrow streets, tall houses hanging overhead
The Towns • Church was usually at center of town • Neighborhoods made of people of similar backgrounds • No garbage/ waste disposal • Garbage thrown out windows • Chamber pots emptied in streets • Perfect for the spread of disease
The Towns • http://player.discoveryeducation.com/index.cfm?guidAssetId=E49D9646-2FAD-4A06-A912-3F6E23CCA5CD
