1. High Middle Ages

2. Agricultural Revolution
New Technology
iron plows
horse harness rather than oxen – quicker
windmill to grind grain

3. Expanding Production
peasants cleared forests, drained swamps, reclaimed waste land
led to population increase

4. Trade Revives
people began to desire more than what was produced on the manor
peasants wanted iron for tools
nobles wanted fine wool, furs, and spices from Asia

5. New Trade Routes traders formed merchant caravans for safety
regular trade routes were set up
local goods (honey, furs, fine cloth, tin, lead) were exchanged for
imported goods (Chinese silks, Byzantine gold jewelry, Asian spices)
Constantinople to Venice to Flanders to England

6. Trade Fairs located near navigable rivers and where trade routes met
people from nearby villages, towns, and castles attended
entertainment included jugglers, acrobats, and dancing bears

7. New Towns
merchants would wait out the winter near a castle or bishop’s palace
artisans came to live
eventually populations reached 10,000
most prosperous cities were in northern Italy and Flanders – which were centers of the wool trade and prosperous textile industries

8. Charter
merchants would ask the local lord for a written document that set out the rights and privileges of the town
in return the merchants paid the lord a large sum of money, a yearly fee, or both
charters usually allowed townspeople to choose their own leaders and control their own affairs
most had a clause declaring any serf who lived in the town a year and a day to be free

9. Commercial Revolution
money reappeared
merchants borrowed from moneylenders to buy goods
capital – money for investment
new business practices
partnerships – merchants pooled their funds to finance a large-scale ventures
insurance was created to compensate for lost or destroyed merchandise
bills of exchange used – deposit money in a bank in one city and cash in the paper in another city (from Middle East)

10. social changes use of money undermined serfdom
lords needed money to buy goods
peasants sold produce to townspeople and paid the lord’s rent with money rather than labor

11. by 1000 – middle class of merchants, traders, and artisans emerged between nobles and peasants
nobles resented middle class for being a disruptive influence
clergy felt the practice of usury (lending money at interest) was immoral
by 1300 – few serfs were left in Western Europe

12. Role of Guilds
guilds – associations of merchants and artisans that dominated life in medieval towns by passing laws, levying taxes, and deciding how to spend funds
each guild represented a different occupation
in some towns there were riots between craft guilds and wealthier merchant guilds
guilds limited membership, monopolized labor, made rules to ensure quality, regulated hours of labor, regulated prices, provided social services by opening schools and hospitals and aiding widows and children of guild members
apprentice (trainee) began to serve a guildmaster around age 7 and spent 7 years learning the trade and only received bed and board
most became journeymen (salaried workers), few became guildmasters
women were in guilds
some inherited shops
some apprenticed as ribbonmakers, papermakers, and surgeons
in some cities a third of all guildmembers were women

13. City Life cities were surrounded by walls for protection
narrow streets and tall houses
larger cities had a great cathedral or a splendid guild house
hawkers sold stuff during the day
unlit streets were deserted at night
no garbage or sewage collection
people yelled “gardy loo” as they flung their waste out a window into the street
filthy, smelly, noisy, crowded
facilitated the spread of disease
wooded buildings were a fire hazard

14. Major Changes return of a money economy
trade brought new products, ideas, and technology
middle class changed the social structure
monarchs increased their power
increased contact with other cultures