MIDDLE AGES-REVIVAL

500-1000: Early Middle Ages- Life was bad 1000-1300: High Middle Ages-things got a lot better 1300-1500: Late Middle Ages-terrible things happened but the level of achievement did not go down.

1000 – A TURNING POINT!! Trade revived Towns & cities grew Learning & literacy began to revive.

Changes in agriculture around 1000AD 1)The average climate got about 2 degrees warmer

Changes in agriculture around 1000AD 2) The three field system, which began around 900AD, had spread throughout Europe. 2/3 of the land was used instead of ½

Changes in agriculture around 1000AD 3) Heavy moldboard plow European soil was heavier and wetter Traditional plow just dug in Heavy moldboard plow dug deeper and turned the soil

Changes in Agriculture around 1000AD Now horses could be used instead of oxen 4) Horse Collar and Horse Shoes Type used for oxen; not good for horses because it cuts into windpipe Better, but not used much Much better, tripled the weight a horse could pull

WHY DID THIS REVIVAL TAKE PLACE? MORE MORE MORE MORE FOOD PEOPLE TRADE TOWNs + CRUSADES

Italy England France Holy Roman Empire Kievan Rus TRADE CENTERS Venice,Genoa Champagne Flanders Bruge Hanseatic League Hamburg Kiev

REVIVAL OF TRADE IN ITALY Earliest revival of trade was in the cities of Northern Italy, especially Genoa & Venice Trade had declined less there. Location favored trade. Served as go-betweens for traders from Asia and Europe. carried Crusaders to Palestine; carried goods back from Asia.

Revival of Trade in Northern Europe Flanders Located where Belgium & Netherlands are now Specialized in making & selling fine woolen cloth Largest cities were Bruges & Ghent

Revival of Trade in Northern Europe Kiev, in what is now Ukraine, also became a trading center

Revival of Trade in Northern Europe Hanseatic League Association of trading cities of what is now Northern Germany (then it was the HRE). This association acted almost like a government: it had an army & navy; it enforced trade rules About 100 cities, including Bremen, Hamburg & Lubeck

Revival of Trade From Asia, Europeans wanted: Dyes, medicines, silks, spices, cotton & linen, art objects Europeans exported: Baltic countries: fish, fur, timber Spain: leather, oil, soap; France: wine Venice: Glassware England & Flanders: woolen cloth

TRADE FAIRS Temporary locations where merchants and traders met to do business The best known trade fairs were in northeastern France, in the area known as Champagne. Champagne was on the trade route between Italy and Flanders. At different times of year, 4 towns in Champagne held a total of 6 fairs, each lasting about 49 days Merchants came from all over Europe

Medieval trade fairs. Trade fairs became social events, with clowns, jugglers and musicians.

New business practices-Domestic System Manufacturing by the Domestic System (also called “Putting out system”. Goods were produced in the worker’s houses. Example: A businessman would buy wool, then take it to a spinner, then to a weaver, then to a dyer, who each performed a task. Then he collected the cloth and sold it.

Trade Fairs At first business was done by barter. As the fairs grew larger, merchants began to use money. However, local rulers issued their own coins, and money changers exchanged coins from one region for coins of another.

New Business practices: Banking The first bankers were simply money changers. In the Middle Ages, the Church said money lending for interest, which was called usury, was a sin. However, some people began to lend money for interest anyway, and eventually the Church changed the rule.

New Business Practices-Banking Banks began to issue a special note called a “bill of exchange”, which was like a check, used in place of money. A merchant could deposit his money in one bank, get a bill of exchange, and then travel to another city, present his bill of change and get cash in the amount of his deposit.

New Business Practices: investing In the later Middle Ages, businessmen began investing capital. Capital is money that is earned, saved, and invested to make a profit. Sometimes several investors formed a partnership, in which profits and loses were shared. All these new business practices resulted in a “market economy” in which land, labor and capital are controlled by individuals.