CHANGES IN MEDIEVAL SOCIETY
Chapter 14 Section 2
VOCAB
Three field system
Guild
Commercial Revolution
Burgher
Vernacular
Thomas Aquinas
Scholastics
GROWING FOOD SUPPLY
Warmer climate 800-1200 in Europe led to more available farming lands
Horsepower: horses replaced oxen for plowing fields
• Horse could plow 3x as much in one day as oxen
Farmers also changed how they organized their farming land,
• Three field system emerges…
THREE FIELDS SYSTEM
Field 1
Field 2
Field 3
Farmers plant on two fields at a time leave one field resting for a year.
“Resting” field given chance to become fertile again.
Food production increased.more food allowed for dramatic rise in Europe’spopulation.
Guilds:• First unions • Helped workers in the
same area control pricing• Also offered protection for
each other and how to train new workers
• Europe’s economy begins to grow; brings about the return to urban life and the downfall of the manor system.
GUILD S AND THE CO MMERCIAL REVO LU TIO N
Commercial Revolution • Increased trade routes
after the crusades made a variety of products available to new people
• Fairs: people would travel to towns on “fair days” to trade with people from across the world
• Towns start to grow to cities, people of Europe have new ways to make money
Between 1000-1150 population of Europe rose from 30-42 million people
As trade grew so did towns and cities
• Serfs would run-away to towns for a better life. Living in a town for a year and a day made you a free man
URBAN LIFE FLOURISHES
Problems in the cities:• Narrow streets filled
with animals and animal waste
• No sewers many most people dumped human waste into the streets
• Poor hygiene; lack of clean water
• Houses made of thatch constant fire hazard
REVIVAL OF LEARNING
During the Crusades Christian interaction with Muslin and Byzantines greatly expanded.
Muslim libraries housed copies of the works of Greek philosophers; works that all but disappeared in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire
Muslim Connection• 1100s Christian
scholars visited Muslim libraries in Spain
• Gained knowledge of science, philosophy, law, mathematics etc.
• Crusaders brought back superior Muslim technology in shipping, navigation, and weapons
REVIVAL OF LEARNING
Scholars and Universities• ‘university”- group of
people who met whenever they could
• People not buildings made up European unis
• 1100s schools arose and filled by sons of burghers, wealthy merchants.
• Writers started writing in vernacular instead of Latin
Dante Aligheri – The Divine Comedy (1308-1314)Written in Italian
Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400) Written in English
THOMAS AQUINAS Click icon to add picture
Believed he could prove the most basic religious truths
through logic.