Chapter 14.2- Trade, Towns, and
Financial Revolution
Between 1000 and 1300, agriculture, trade,
and finance made remarkable progress
Towns and cities grew…due in part to
growing population and territorial
expansion of western Europe
Unleashed creativity led to the birth of a
new institution in Europe- the university
I. A Growing Food Supply
Needed a better way of farming
Expanding civilization requires an increased
food supply
Farming was helped by a warmer climate
(800 to 1200 CE)
New methods as well
A. Using Horsepower
Oxen were depended on previously…easy
to keep, but moved very slowly
Horses needed better food, but a team of
horses could plow twice as much land in a
day as a team of oxen
Needed new type of harness…early Middle
Ages, harnesses went around the horses’
neck (like a dog collar) and would nearly
strangle them when it pulled
Before 900, new harness was introduced
that fitted across the horse’s chest…taking
pressure off its neck
o As a result, horses gradually replaced
oxen for plowing and for pulling wagons
B. The Three-Field System
Villagers also began to organize their land
differently
Old, 2-field system- 1 field used to plant
food, the other field lay fallow (1/2 of land
wasn’t in use at any one time)
Around 800, some villages switched to 3
fields…2/3 land in cultivation, with 1/3
laying fallow
Three-Field System…growing on 2/3 of land
instead of 1/2, food production
increased…villagers had more to eat
With food surplus (and healthier foods)
came a population increase
Deforestation also occurred, as more forest
land was cleared for cultivation
II. Trade and Finance Expand
Trade and finance expanded along with
agriculture
Partly a response to population growth
By 1000’s, artisans and craftsmen were
manufacturing goods by hand for local and
long-distance trade
Trade routes spread across Europe from
Flanders to Italy
Trade routes were opened to Asia, partly
due to the Crusades
A. Fairs and Trade
Most trade took place in towns
Cloth was the most common trade
item…also bacon, salt, honey, cheese, wine,
leather, dyes, knives, and ropes
With local fairs, self-sufficient manors
became obsolete
B. The Guilds
Guild= an association of people who
worked at the same occupation…similar to
a union today
In medieval towns- guilds controlled all
wages and prices in their craft
Over time, skilled artisans began craft guilds
o Ex: wheelwrights, glassmakers,
winemakers, tailors, druggists
o Guilds enforced standards of quality
o Only masters of trade could be guild
members
o Child was apprenticed to a master for 57 years to learn the trade
o Then the apprentice was a journeyman
and could work for wages
o Journeyman then needed to make a
“master piece” and if their product met
the guild standards, they were
welcomed into the guild as masters
C. A Financial Revolution
The fairs and guilds created a need for large
amounts of cash
Merchants had to purchase goods first to
be able to sell later, but Church forbade
usury
Usury= lending money at interest…or selling
to make a profit
Many of Europe’s Jews lived in the growing
towns and were moneylenders
o Guilds excluded Jews
o Moneylending was one of the few ways
that Jews were permitted to make a
living
o Many Jews had to live in segregated
parts of towns called the ghetto
o Jews were also forbidden from holding
land, so they had never become part of
the feudal system
Over time, the Church relaxed its rule on
usury…eventually banking was an important
business, especially in Italy
III. Urban Splendor Reborn
All over Europe, trade blossomed, and
better farming methods caused a spurt in
population growth
o 1000 to 1150- population of western
Europe went from 30 million to 42
million
Towns grew (but still smaller than
Constantinople)
Europe’s largest city= Paris…about 60,000
people by 1200
A. Trade and Towns Grow Together
By the later Middle Ages, trade was the
lifeblood of new towns
Feudalism began breaking down, some serfs
ran away
Most medieval towns developed
haphazardly
Streets were narrow and filled with horses,
pigs, oxen, and their refuse
No sewers, people dumped household
waste, animal and human, into the street in
front of their house
Most people never bathed (expose yourself
to evil spirits)
Houses were built with wood and thatched
roofs (wattle and daub), so they were a
constant fire hazard
B. Towns and Social Order
By the 1100’s, custom developed that a serf
could become free by living in a town for a
year and a day.
Merchants and craftspeople didn’t fit into
the traditional medieval social order of
noble, clergy, and peasant
Burghers= town dwellers
Burghers eventually resented feudal lords
attempts to levy fees, taxes, and rents
Many burghers organized themselves and
demanded privileges
IV. Revival of Learning
Growing trade and cities brought a new
interest in learning
The University stood at the center of the
growth of learning
A. Scholars and Writers
University originally designated a meeting
of a group of scholars, not the building
Early universities in Paris, Bologna, Oxford,
Salerno
Most students were the sons of burghers or
well-to-do artisans
For most students the goal was a job in
government or the Church
o Bachelor’s degree in Theology= 5-7
years
o Master of Theology= about 12 years
Scholars and writers continued to use Latin
Vernacular- everyday language of a
person’s homeland
Some poets began using the vernacular in
their writings
Dante Alighieri wrote The Divine Comedy
(1321) in Italian
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury
Tales (1387-1400) in English
Christine de Pisan wrote The City of Ladies
(1405) in French
Brought literature to the masses
B. The Muslim Connection
Revival of learning sparked European
interest in the works of ancient scholars
Growth of trade was accelerated by the
Crusades
Brought Europeans into contact with
Muslims and Byzantines
o Muslims and Byzantines had preserved
the writings of Greek philosophers in
their libraries
1100’s, Christian scholars from Europe
began visiting Muslim libraries in Spain
o Few Western scholars knew Greek
o Jewish scholars translated Arabic
versions of works by Aristotle and other
Greek writers into Latin
Crusaders also brought back superior
Muslim technology in ships, navigation, and
weapons
C. Aquinas and Medieval Philosophy
Christian scholars were excited by Greek
writings
Question: Could a Christian scholar use
Aristotle’s logical approach to truth and still
keep faith with the Bible?
Thomas Aquinas- mid-1200’s, scholar who
argued that the most basic religious truths
could be proved by logical argument
o Wrote the Summa Theologica, between
1267 and 1273
o Influenced by Aristotle
o Combined ancient Greek thought with
Christian thought of his time
Aquinas and his fellow scholars were known
as schoolmen, or scholastics
o Used their knowledge of Aristotle to
debate many issues of their time
o Teachings on law and government
influenced the thinking of many western
Europeans, especially the English and
French
o Democratic institutions and traditions
began to develop.
Name:
________________
Date:
_________ Period: ___
Chapter 14.2 Formative Reading Quiz
1.
Who was Thomas Aquinas? (Time
Period, Location, Key Achievements).
Thomas Aquinas- mid-1200’s, scholar who
argued that the most basic religious truths
could be proved by logical argument
Wrote the Summa Theologica, between
1267 and 1273
Influenced by Aristotle
Combined ancient Greek thought with
Christian thought of his time
2.
Draw a Diagram of the Three-Field
System, and explain its impact and
significance.
Field 1- Crop
Field 2- Crop
Field 3- Fallow
Three field-system increased amount of land
under cultivation at one time from ½ to
2/3…1/3 was left fallow to rest…resulted in
food surplus and population increase
3.
What was usury, and what was its
impact on medieval society?
Usury- charging interest on a loan, or
increasing price of item to make a
profit…considered a sin by the early Catholic
Church…as a result majority of early
moneylenders, bankers, and merchants were
Jewish and Muslim…eventually, Catholic
Church softened its stance against usury, and
Christians got involved in commerce and
finance…especially Italian cities.
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