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Summary Medieval Europe: a Short History - LET-GESB104-CEH (medievalhistory2)
- Instelling
- Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (RU)
Summary Medieval Europe: a Short History - LET-GESB104-CEH (medievalhistory2) chapters 8-16
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MEDIEVAL HISTORY IIEarly Middle Ages
5th / 6th c - 10th c
an era of struggle
High Middle Ages
10th / 11th c - 1300s
a time of growth
Late Middle Ages
1300s - 1500s
crises & creativity
Chapter 8 “Economic Takeoff and Social Change in Town and Court, c. 1000 - 1300”
the growth in rural productivity during the central ma had important effects throughout the medieval economy
rich harvest —> more food —> more ppl —> more specialisations —> more demand —> more trade
the ultimate beneficiaries of the agricultural revolution: townspeople n aristocrats
the system of manorialism — directed most profit from peasant work to the barns of their lords —> aristocrats had
more money than their predecessors —> this money could be spent on traded items spurring a commercial revolution
—> european society during this period became richer in goods, social complexity n culture
the commercial revolution
even after the breakdown of charlemagne’s empire, trade continued. jewish merchants helped link europe with the
wealthier civilizations of islam n byzantine. viking had exceptional ships
the rhine, sine, po, danube, thames —> europe’s greatest rivers
as the invasions diminished (late 10th c), eu’s commerce surged. dukes n emperors across countries encouraged weekly
markets that served villages in their immediate vicinity. many rulers also sought to systematize the minting of silver
coins —> enhanced their power, enriched their treasuries, provided a more reliable medium of exchange
cities became a critical part of european life by 1300 (although agricultural villages still predominated). the roots of
these changes lay primarily within europe itself rather than with any external stimulus: “for the 1st time underdeveloped
society succeeded in developing itself, mostly by its own efforts”
from some roman cities evolved the cathedral towns of the early ma. when the commerce revived in the 10th c, these
old towns were invigorated n new ones emerged. some flourished around a castle / fortification — called “burgs”. the
medieval city remained faithful to its saints n religious establishments while expanding its commercial districts n
developing its political n legal institutions. commerce transformed europes cities into economic centres that earned their
own way from activities of their merchants n artisans
northern italy —> earliest & largest commercial towns
- after muslims were driven from the seas (10th c), italian merchants dominated the mediterranean, bringing goods
from islamic n byzantine ports to italian cities n carrying them over the alps — far-flung trade —> brought vigorous
new life to inland towns (milan, florence)
- although the crusades initially disrupted the mediterranean trade, they ultimately stimulated the economy of the
italian cities
cities of flanders also grew wealthy from commerce - trading throughout france, british isles, rhineland n the baltic sea.
manufacturing also enriched the cities. it was the industrial centre of northern eu with a supreme textile industry
early commerce focused on specific sort of goods:
silk & spice (luxury)
humans cargo (slave trade)
good-quality cloth
—> as the economy expanded, local areas were able to specialise in whatever goods they produced most efficiently
• paris - grain
• scandinavia - timber
• poland - salt
• germany - salt & fish
• england - wool
• flanders - cloth
• burgundy - wine
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,early middle ages —> commerce was minimal - goods had moved across long distances through the few cities that
could accommodate such trade
central middle ages —> commerce grew - much wider array of goods moved through a much wider assortment of local
n international networks
• many of these network were informal, some were more formal n predictable
• merchants from various towns sometimes formed leagues to ensure safer transport n better trading privileges:
• the hanseatic league — focused on baltic trade; mid-12th c
market villages: handled the trade of peasants (weekly opportunities to sell their produce)
regional towns: pumps for these small market (sending goods n receiving other ones in exchange)
commerce lubricated the high medieval economy with an ever-creasing flow or money —> money that built churches,
funded crusades n charities
monarchs could now:
collect taxes in silver coins instead of goods
govern through salaried officials
wage war with hired troops
aristocrats could pamper themselves with imported luxury
enterprising peasants could accumulate wealth to build better houses / buy more land
europe finally had become linked into the vast trading networks that traversed the indian ocean n the silk road that
connected africa to china
urban society
town dwellers were drawn primarily from the wealthier peasantry but not only —> when towns were just getting
established (11th), immigration was essential —> towns relied on newcomers to keep up their numbers
(women were especially important. so much that they sometimes outnumbered them)
the towns were not only inhabited by those of european descent. v likely more ppl of african descent walked the streets
of medieval eu but archaeological analysis has only recently identified their origins. most eu towns were less diverse n
cosmopolitan than the metropolis of classical rome, but neither were they populated by ppl of a uniform culture, race or
origin
they were subject to the authority of the noble — a local landowner who could levy tolls n taxes on townsppl n
administered justice within town walls
HOWEVER
at an early dare, merchants began to band together to oppose these exactions. they agitated for privileges essential to the
pursuit of business
1. freedom from servile dues
2. freedom of movement
3. freedom to hold town property without any services
4. freedom of legal self-management
by 12th c, local landowners were granting their towns written guarantees (urban charters). some were forced to do it,
some did it voluntarily
a communal movement:
• agitation for urban self-government was sosososo high
• 12th c eu
• each urban charter created a semi-autonomous political n legal entity (commune) with its own local government,
court, tax-collecting agencies n customs
• the citizens of commune paid enormous sums to receive such a charter n they also paid their lords on a yearly basis
BUT they did so collectively through urban govs
• they had won the invaluable privilege of handling their own affairs
• wise nobles had little objection to collecting the golden egg (annual sum) without any administrative effort
urban charters grew out of collective effort n were sustained by collective responsibility NEVERTHELESS medieval
towns were not bastions of democracy / equality —> inequality sprang from many different factors —> political
privilege worked hand-in-hand with economic privilege
women worked in a wide variety of craft n merchant enterprises; they predominated in almost non of these occupations
except for the least lucrative n most unpleasant. wives worked as helpers to their husbands or took up occupations that
complemented those of their husbands
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,jews played a vital part in the early phases of medieval urban growth
- jewish communities in iberia thrived under islamic toleration
- italian cities - similar deep n strong roots
- 9th c onwards —> more & more jews settled in northern europe
- christians made it difficult for jews to own land, they usually had to make their livings within an urban milieu
- it was important for jews to maintain contact with other jewish communities so they were well-positioned as
merchants —> knowledgeable about distant lands, skilled in multiple languages
- provided a critical financial service
- medieval church prohibited usury (loaning money at interest) but moneylending was essential to the health of the
commercial economy
- some christians ignored the church, some developed ingenious ways to practice usury while hiding it, others
turned to jewish moneylenders
- moneylending sometimes became another reason for christian vilification of jews
- could not join guilds
- often segregated from christians by residence in special districts
- always a distinctive element within medieval towns — this distinction was constitutional for jewish communities
often held charters of their own from local nobles —> they constituted a separate corporation within the corporation
of their town
- BUT this distinctive place also grew from christian attitudes toward jews (long mingled acceptance with anxiety)
- restrictions intensified over the course of the central middle ages
guild n households:
guilds were vital to most medieval towns —> to participate in town gov it was often necessary to belong to the single
merchant guild of the town / one of the several powerful merchant guilds
these guilds had many functions: social interaction, charitable activities, religious observances
to limit competition n ensure good quality, guild masters established strict admission requirements n stringent rules.
they also supervised 2 other sorts of workers — apprentices n journeymen
a) apprentices — young men learning their trade
b) journeymen — young artisans working as day laborers improving their skills n saving money
HOWEVER many never managed to become masters n open their own shops
these formal stages were part of the lives of many men but few women —> although a few female traders formed guild
of mistresses, they were governed entirely by men
the shop = the home
the same place in which goods were produced n sold was also the place of eating, sleeping etc —> sometimes this
blurring worked to women’s advantage (she could learn some skills)
urban children began to work at young ages; they learned critical skills working alongside their parents. once grown,
they often continued in their parents’ occupations
life in 12th c london
london was the largest city in the british isles n one of the leading commercial centres of northwestern eu
- fire was an ever present danger bc everything was made out of wood
- from the perspective of its inhabitants, london was a great, progressive metropolis
- fortified (all medieval cities were fortified)
- within city walls came good from far places
- the leisure pleasures of londoners: miracle plays, carnivals, athletic contests
the landholding aristocracy
agriculture expanded —> towns grew —> aristocratic life was transformed —> money began to erode the lord-vassal
relationship, replacing personal services with cash payments (nobles n knights began to depend less on the services that
vassals personally performed n increasingly on mercenary troops n paid officials) —> english knights began to require
their aristocratic vassals to pay a tax called scutage —> spread to france n elsewhere
money n commerce brought new luxuries into aristocratic households
professional warriors
medieval aristocracy —> above all was a military class
feudal aristocracy was originally 2-tiered divided between nobles n knights. during the central ma this social boundary
grew less clear - noblemen grew more content to think of themselves as “knights” <> knights began to acquire more
extensive lands n privileges n jurisdictional rights previously limited to the nobles —> by 13th c knights n noblemen
were blending into a single aristocratic order which shared a common code of behavior known as “chivalry”
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, medieval knight = (in essence) an armed thug
—> claimed that they protected church n society but were often violent primarily interested in defending n extending
their own states
knights probably lived a v happy (n violent) life for warfare was everywhere in the central ma - monarchs slowly
managed to discourage private wars between local barons
war was devastating to the villages but not v dangerous for knights themselves
feudal society
peacetime —> tournaments took place
church legislated against
aristocratic men used these tournaments to demonstrate their skills n collect ransom
knights had many mundane duties (all of which grew in importance from the 11th c)
1) had to preside at manorial courts
2) attend on their lords / ladies n give them counsel
3) manage their estates
over the course of the central ma, aristocratic life underwent a refinement
- many medieval castles were nothing more than a square wooden towers — bc it was built fro defense not comfort
- a world of enforced togetherness in which only the wealthiest of aristocrats enjoyed the luxury of a private
bedchamber
- by the 13th c, nobles were living in much more commodious dwellings
- it became possible to heat individual room —> encouraged new notions of privacy
- the aristocracy became more exclusive n rigidly defined than its earlier days
feudal society remained a warrior’s world that accommodated aristocratic women only awkwardly
courtly love —> more of a literary ordeal than a real practice; idealized women to an absurd event; signalled an
alternative male attitude toward women
although women were not expected to fight, some did. there were also some medieval female rulers but it provoked
resistance (in some regions)
—> aristocratic women sometimes fought in battles, sometimes held fiefs, sometimes ruled over men, but most of all,
they were expected to marry n produce children
—> male lineage grew more important to the feudal elite —> the production of legitimate children grew more
important —> an age-old double standard gained new force
despite large families, high child mortality n distance, parents seemed to love their children well — that love was half
practical, half a simple human feeling
the expansion of education
improved standards of living and increasing cultural complexity were both the cause n result of a vast expansion in
education n increase in the use of written documents.
- proliferation of both government documents n records of individual transactions
- law came to rely more on coherent, written systems of secular n ecclesiastical jurisprudence
- power came to be justified less by personal loyalty n more by hard documentation
- power came to be exercised less by physical force n more through parchment
this shift “from memory to written record” (m. clanchy) produced basic changes in administrative n social organization
encouraging a more logical n systematic approach to every aspect of human experience. these changes also provided
more opportunities for ambitious young men
the ability to read n write became more valued —> knowledge began to offer a good route to power —> schools sprang
up everywhere —> by 1100, eu abounded with students n teachers
the greatest of the new schools were established in cities. the commercial revolution that fuelled the growth of towns
slowly brought about the eclipse of the old monastic schools — they were superseded by schools in urban churches.
both cathedral schools n municipal schools had long existed but only in 11th / 12th c did they rise n became centres of
higher learning - some of them developed into unis
unis served only a limited sector of the medieval population
1) men only;
1) monastic schools continued to offer some training for a few women but as education expanded, it expanded
only for men
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