Rebirth of Urban Life

Rebirth of Urban Life• Before 1200, no town in Western Europe had

more than 30,000 inhabitants• Functions:– Administrative centers of the Church or political

leader– Fortified enclosures: provided protection to rural

population under attack– Centers of local and international exchange

Medieval Trade

Urban Social Organization• Hierarchical• Noble (patrician)—a well-known family with a

position, strength, or longevity; – required land in the countryside or merchant trade

in towns– Usually derived from military service– Appointed by higher nobility to the “privilege”

• Townsmen—Middle class; own or work in shops to earn income to pay taxes to the nobles

• Peasants—farmers who brought crops to market

Political/Societal Pyramid (post-1200)Hereditary monarchs

Noble families

Townsmen—subordinate to a lord

Serfs (semifree) or slaves

Towns and Commerce

• Magnets for skilled labor and goods• Guilds within the towns controlled the

production and price of goods of a certain craft

• Most peasants were allowed to bring their crops to town to sell

• Merchant guilds controlled in flow of a variety of goods from foreign markets and price.

Medieval Guilds

Guild Hall

Commercial Monopoly: Controlled membership

apprentice journeyman master craftsman

Controlled quality of the product [masterpiece].

Controlled prices

Medieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s Shop

Crest of a Cooper’s Guild

Late Medieval Town Dwellings

Universities and Scholasticism

• Founding of the first universities in towns• Variety of subjects taught but theology guided

most subjects• Scholasticism became the focus of most

universitiesthe use of reason and research to investigate and solve problems

Medieval Universities

Oxford University

Government and Church

• Lack of structured gov’t• Kings and queens are starting to build their

gov’ts but often clash with nobles over power• Catholic Church reached its height of political,

spiritual, and cultural influence• The Pope was more powerful than

kings/queens

The NobilityPrinces of bloo

d (royal

family)

Mediatized princes—dependant on another prince

Dukes, earls, counts

Barons or Knights

*higher the title=more land owned by the family