Ch. 16 A Changing Medieval World ( ) Section 1: The Revival of Trade and Towns

The Plow and the Horse Population grew from 1000 – 1300 in Europe Food production had to increase Plows – Wooden = only scratched the ground Pulled by Oxen – Iron = cut into the soil  farm more land Pulled by Horses Better plows = more food

The Three-Field System Farmers developed a better crop rotation Old = only one-half of a field was planted New = two-thirds of the field was planted during the year – Increase amount of planted land – Protected farmers from starvation – Help soil recover

Effects of New Farming Methods New farming methods = – More food supply Better diets  healthier people  lived longer Population Increased – 39 million  74 million ( )

Specialization and Trade A surplus of food lead to the increase of trade. Why? Some areas specialized in a certain crop – Spain-olives, France-grapes As Traded Increased  people could get items from other areas – Silk, leather boots, metal pots, iron knives – Places specialized  Toledo = steel swords, Flanders = woolen cloth, Italy = spices, perfumes from Asia

The Beginnings of a Banking System Trading/ Traveling with large amounts of money = ? Italian bankers solved the problem by creating a banking system – Letters of credit (Islamic traders) Allowed deposit $ in one city and withdraw in another

Growing Towns Trade  Growth of towns Most town used to be religious centers Merchants began to set up shops in town. – Some merchants hired people to make products to sell 1200’s European towns = centers of trade – Created great fairs  sell goods, jugglers, musicians, entertainment began to show up

Guilds As the # of skilled craftworkers grew – Artisans banded together = guild Tailors, fishers, winemakers Protected/regulated business – Tested/Business/Quality/Price/ to whom