High Middle Ages

HIGH MIDDLE AGES

1050-1350

Agricultural Revolution

New Technology iron plows horse harness

rather than oxen – quicker

windmill to grind grain

Expanding Production

peasants cleared forests, drained swamps, reclaimed waste land

led to population increase

Trade Revives

people began to desire more than what was produced on the manor peasants wanted

iron for tools nobles wanted fine

wool, furs, and spices from Asia

New Trade Routes

traders formed merchant caravans for safety

regular trade routes were set up

local goods (honey, furs, fine cloth, tin, lead) were exchanged for

imported goods (Chinese silks, Byzantine gold jewelry, Asian spices)

Constantinople to Venice to Flanders to England

Trade Fairs

located near navigable rivers and where trade routes met

people from nearby villages, towns, and castles attended

entertainment included jugglers, acrobats, and dancing bears

New Towns

merchants would wait out the winter near a castle or bishop’s palace

artisans came to live eventually populations

reached 10,000 most prosperous cities

were in northern Italy and Flanders – which were centers of the wool trade and prosperous textile industries

Charter

merchants would ask the local lord for a written document that set out the rights and privileges of the town

in return the merchants paid the lord a large sum of money, a yearly fee, or both

charters usually allowed townspeople to choose their own leaders and control their own affairs

most had a clause declaring any serf who lived in the town a year and a day to be free

Commercial Revolution

money reappeared merchants borrowed from moneylenders to buy

goods capital – money for investment new business practices partnerships – merchants pooled their funds to

finance a large-scale ventures insurance was created to compensate for lost or

destroyed merchandise bills of exchange used – deposit money in a bank

in one city and cash in the paper in another city (from Middle East)

social changes

use of money undermined serfdom lords needed

money to buy goods

peasants sold produce to townspeople and paid the lord’s rent with money rather than labor

by 1000 – middle class of merchants, traders, and artisans emerged between nobles and peasants

nobles resented middle class for being a disruptive influence

clergy felt the practice of usury (lending money at interest) was immoral

by 1300 – few serfs were left in Western Europe

Role of Guilds

guilds – associations of merchants and artisans that dominated life in medieval towns by passing laws, levying taxes, and deciding how to spend funds

each guild represented a different occupation in some towns there were riots between craft guilds and wealthier

merchant guilds guilds limited membership, monopolized labor, made rules to ensure

quality, regulated hours of labor, regulated prices, provided social services by opening schools and hospitals and aiding widows and children of guild members

apprentice (trainee) began to serve a guildmaster around age 7 and spent 7 years learning the trade and only received bed and board

most became journeymen (salaried workers), few became guildmasters women were in guilds some inherited shops some apprenticed as ribbonmakers, papermakers, and surgeons in some cities a third of all guildmembers were women

City Life

cities were surrounded by walls for protection narrow streets and tall houses larger cities had a great cathedral or a splendid guild

house hawkers sold stuff during the day unlit streets were deserted at night no garbage or sewage collection people yelled “gardy loo” as they flung their waste

out a window into the street filthy, smelly, noisy, crowded facilitated the spread of disease wooded buildings were a fire hazard

Major Changes

return of a money economy

trade brought new products, ideas, and technology

middle class changed the social structure

monarchs increased their power

increased contact with other cultures