The Revival of Trade and Towns 02.08.12

1. The Revival of Trade and Towns 02.08.12 What is “urban”? List 6 things you think of when you think of “urban”.

2. The Revival of Trade and Towns 02.08.12 The Revival of Trade and Towns 02.08.12 • Population is steadily growing due to more food • New plows with iron blades pulled by horses • New harnesses to help pull heavier loads • Start using horseshoes to protect horses • Farmers develop a new system of crop rotation • Lets the soil recover by resting for a year • Three-field system has 1/3rd planted in the spring, 1/3rd planted in the summer, and one left to rest 1. increases the amount of land planted 2. protects farmers from starving if one fails • Population doubles between 1000 and 1300 to 74 million in Europe • Demand for trade goods increases as well

3. Farmers produce surplus crops to trade • Areas now able to specialize in crops that grew best (ie. Grapes – France, olives – Spain) • Commoners can buy high-quality trade goods, not just the wealthy • Italians imported trade goods from Asia • Italians create a banking system that includes letters of credit • Carrying gold is too risky on journeys • Revival of trade leads to growth of towns • Towns are religious centers, • Weekly markets • Everyone went to markets, fairs, and festivals

4. Artisans with same skills banded together to form guilds • Protects business • Must be properly trained/tested • Quality carefully watched • If you cheat customers, you get punished • Guilds set the price for all the goods • Guild also controls where and to whom a member could sell goods

5. An Age of Faith 02.10.12 An Age of Faith 02.10.12 Do Now: • List three important changes made by medieval farmers that helped increase food production • How did guilds benefit their members? • Why did farmers change the use of each field from year to year?

6. An Age of Faith 02.09.12 An Age of Faith 02.09.12 • Monastic monks focus inward on prayer and meditation • Mendicant orders focus outward • St. Francis of Assisi grew up wealthy and spoiled • Felt called to live as Jesus had lived • Legend says he could speak to animals • 1209 Franciscan order established • St. Clare of Assisi founded an order based on Francis’ teachings • Vow of poverty, devoted to God • “Poor Clares” • More $ in Europe leads to towns building great cathedrals • In the style known as Gothic • (We will learn more about this later!) • (No, you don’t have to write that down)

7. Cathedral schools for priests became the first universities • Professors/students make up the university, not a building or campus • Books traveled across Europe w/ trade • Students come from all over, all speak Latin • Professor Thomas Aquinas studied Aristotle • Aristotle: human reason used to discover knowledge • Church: faith is the path to truth • Aquinas says that both faith and reason come from God • Believes in natural law – laws in nature that are basic to the natural world and human affairs • There is always a right and a wrong • Famous proof that there is a God • Everything that happens must have a cause • That “cause” is God

8. The Breakdown of Medieval Society 02.14.12 The Breakdown of Medieval Society 02.14.12 Do Now: • Who was Thomas Aquinas influenced by? • What is the difference between monastic and mendicant religious orders? • Legend has it St. Francis can do what? • Europe had 200 years of prosperity • 1315-1317, it rained so much all the crops were ruined and animals died • Great Famine: serious shortage of food, many died of starvation • Edward III of England claimed the right to be King of France • The Hundred’ Years War lasts from 1337 to 1453 • England uses the longbow • First time guns and cannons used in war • Joan of Arc from France said she heard voices from heaven to help fight • Led the French to victory, but burnt at the stake by the English • 1347, epidemic begins in Central Asia • Disease carried on fleas living on rats • Spread on trade routes, merchant ships

9. Known as the bubonic plague, or Black Death • at least 1/3rd of Europe dies, towns emptied • Jews became the scapegoats, many killed or exiled • Blamed for problems they did not cause • Some towns tried to force Jews to convert or die • Pope issued an order to not kill/exile Jews, but was ignored Effects of the Black Death • People dead from all parts of society • Obsession with death and disease • Too few people to work the land • Serfs who lived demanded $$ to work • Peasants’ Revolt in 1381, killed local lords and burned manors • Beginning of Modern Age