Jenny Kang Anna McGilvray Jennifer Pineda Matt Zamora

Assess the importance of merchants and artisans to the economy of the Middle Ages. Examine the systems that encouraged trade and professional development, as well as how they functioned. Evaluate their success. Consider the guild system, Hanseatic League, and fairs. Assess the social and political influence of merchants and artisans in the society of the Middle Ages.

Rome & Western Roman Empire No government - Feudalism Roman Catholic Church - Pope Latin Early Middle Ages AD Late Middle Ages AD Western Europe Government - Emperor Eastern Orthodox Church - Patriarch Greek Eastern Europe Constantinople & Eastern Roman Empire

Marketplace is where all would meet Money market economy evident - free price system, e.g. food supply Fairs- source of entertainment, special goods Artisans, merchants who had guilds due to their part in town’s trade Ravenna Mosaics - Ravenna, capital of the Western Empire - Ostrogothic time period Rules to preserve values - apprenticeship to continue in future generations  journeymen  master craftsman Trade evolved  banks created - Run by merchants of course, conversion factors made - “not all money created equal” e.g. Florentine Florin, the English sterling, and the ducat from Venice

Merchants and artisans had great control overall Guild system- success - Hanseatic League, good but failed Fairs- success Type of Government helped and not helped Traveled  spread ideas  meet new people

Constantinople held the title of Medieval Europe’s most successful center for trade in the 12 th Century Traders traveled in caravans. Desired items include, spices of Southeast Asia and India, wheat and furs from southern Russia, flax (for cloth) and honey from the Balkans, silk from China, wool from the British Isles, cotton and grain from Africa, and jewelry and ivory from India. Trading also lead to smuggling. Example: Christian monks started a Byzantine silk industry with smuggled silk worms from China Foreigners came and were astonished at Constantinople’s success in the trading of silks and metalwork. Merchants from different areas (Italy etc.) outside of Constantinople were allowed trading rights, in exchange for military assistance.

Mutual relationship between merchants and artisans because with Byzantium trading center, craftsmen make their living. Jobs for artisans include glassware, silverware, linen, jewelry, gems etc. Regulations restricted craftsmen of silk textiles to take part in more than one process of producing silk textiles. Due to Byzantine’s economic issues, Byzantine asked Venice and Genoa to fight their naval battles, in exchange, the two Italian cities could sell receive Byzantine goods at a lower cost, causing the revue of the Byzantine empire to fall even more Because of crusade with Turks, the Byzantine empire fell into hardship Over time, with cultural tension in the west, a massacre broke out and it killed thousands of Italian merchants in the Byzantine empire

Government had control over trade Merchant class never gained much political control Large trading network with surrounding empires Art was very important - revolved around religion, little around personal feelings Some artisans moved to Constantinople in order to work - Ravenna mosaics\Church of Hagia Merchants were not as important in the Byzantine Empire compared to the Western Empire. Artisans were of moderate importance

Guild- organization of artisans in a similar trade Apprentice- way to train new practitioners in a skill Journeyman- a person who has been an apprentice and is now certified to work a trade Master Craftsman- a master or grand master in a guild, a master of trade Barter economy- lacks a strict system of currency- trade of things like objects food Money/market economy- an economy that’s prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system Fairs- gathering in which people try to sell goods and entertain people Hanseatic League –an organization of trading cities and merchant guilds that controlled trade in Northern Europe.