Changes in Medieval Society
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SETTING THE STAGE
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While Church reform, cathedral building, and the Crusades were taking place, other important
changes were occurring in medieval society.
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Between 1000 and 1300, agriculture, trade, and finance made significant advances.
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Towns and cities grew. This was in part due to the growing population and to territorial
expansion of western Europe.
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Cultural interaction with the Muslim and Byzantine worlds sparked the growth of learning and
the birth of an institution new to Europe—the university.
A Growing Food Supply
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Expanding civilization required an increased food supply (more people need more food)
A warmer climate which brought improved food production
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Switch to Horsepower
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Peasants had depended on oxen which were strong but slow at pulling a plow
Horses could plow three times as much land
Before farmers could use horses a better harness was needed
As a result of the new harness horses gradually replaced oxen for plowing
The Three-Field System
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Villages began to organize their land into 3 fields instead of 2
Two of the fields were planted and the other lay fallow (resting) for a year
Farmers could now grow 2/3 of the land rather than ½
Food production increased
Well – fed people could better resist disease and live longer as a result European population
grew dramatically
The Guilds
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A guild was an organization of individuals in the same business or occupation working to
improve the economic and social conditions of its members.
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First guilds were merchant (business people) guilds
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After that skilled artisans such as glassmakers began craft guilds
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In few crafts especially for cloth, women formed the majority
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Guilds became powerful forces in the medieval economy
Commercial Revolution
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This expansion of trade and business is called the Commercial Revolution.
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Trade took place in many towns
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Cloth and clothing were the most common trade item
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More goods from foreign lands became available. Trade routes spread across Europe
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They also traveled to Muslim ports
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Trade routes were opened to Asia too
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Traders moved from fair to fair so they needed large amounts of cash or credit
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Bills of exchange established exchange rated between different areas.
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Letters of credit between merchants eliminated the need to carry large amounts of cash and
made trade easier.
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This is the beginning of the concept of buying on credit
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Trading firms and associations formed to offer these services to their groups
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Merchants first had to purchase goods from distant places. To do so they had to borrow money
but the Church forbade Christians from lending money at interest. This was a sin called usury.
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As a result moneylending and banking became the occupations of many of Europe’s Jews
Urban Life Flourishes
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Scholars estimate that between 1000 and 1150, the population of western Europe rose from
around 30 million to about 42 million.
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The population of western Europe rose from around 30 million to about 42 million
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European towns were unsophisticated and tiny
A typical town in medieval Europe had only about 1,500 to 2,500 people
Trade and Towns Grow Together
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Trade was the very lifeblood the new towns
Drawbacks were that the streets were narrow, filled with animals and their waste
There were no sewers. Most people dumped household and human waste into the street
People never bathed and their housed lacked fresh air, light, and clean water
Houses were built of wood with thatched roofs so they were a constant fire hazard
Many serfs ran away from the manor to the towns.
According to custom, a serf could now become free by living within a town for a year and a day.
Merchant Class Shifts the Social Order
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As trade expanded the burghers or merchant-class town dweller, resented this interference in
their trade and commerce
They organized themselves and demanded privileges
The Revival of Learning
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During the Crusades, European contact with Muslims and Byzantines greatly expanded
This contact bought a new interest in learning, especially in the works Greek philosopher
The Muslim Connection
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Christian scholars from Europe began visiting Muslim libraries in Spain
The Crusades brought back to Europe superior Muslim technology in ships, navigation, and
weapons
Scholars and the University
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The word “university” originally referred to a group of scholars meeting wherever they could
Most students were sons of burghers or well-to-do artisans
For most students the goal was a job in government or the Church
Dante Alighieri wrote “The Divine Comedy” in Italian
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the “Canterbury Tales” in English
Aquinas and Medieval Philosophy
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Thomas Aquinas argued that most basic religious truths could be proved by logical argument