CHAPTER 13: THE HIGH MIDDLE AGESSECTION 2: TRADE AND TOWNS GROW

keymanWorld HistoryPeriod 5

A. The Revival of Trade

Main idea: The development of trade fairs and trade centers created an interest in western European trade in the later Middle Ages.

A. The Revival of Trade Trade at Home

and Abroad Fairs , were a

place merchants could sell and exchange good.

Fairs grew up at key locations on trading routes which were often near rivers.

Fairs offered a safe setting for merchants to do business.

A. The Revival of Trade Regional Trade Routes

Trade routes in the later Middle Ages centered on two regions , the northern region and southern region.

German trading companies joined together in the 1160s to form what would become the Hanseatic League.

Money-changers became bankers, the first ever in the medieval world.

B. The Growth of Towns

Main idea :The growth in trade was linked to the development of towns and cities, especially in northern Italy and its surrounding regions.

B. The Growth of Towns Merchants and the New Middle Class

Merchants and craftspeople became burghers or free town citizens.

Before the year 1000, it has been estimated that 1,000 new towns developed in western Europe.

Merchants settled at important crossroads on trade routes.

B. The Growth of Towns

Establishing Guilds Guilds set quality standards for products and

service. Guilds regulated, or controlled, competition

between members with rules about working conditions and hours.

Guilds provided education and career training for its male members.

C. Plague and Social Upheaval

Main idea : In the fourteenth century ,western Europe suffered a series of disasters, in particular, the plague called The Black Death.

C. Plague and Social Upheaval

The Spread of the Plague The fleas bit

infected rats that traveled on merchant ships and bit humans on the ships or in the ports.

The Black Death was combination of four diseases.

Those who had black spots under there skin probably had bubonic plague.

C. Plague and Social Upheaval

Consequences of the Black Death The population of

entire villages died and many fields were not planted.

It became difficult to produce goods or obtain them because of the shortage of workers.

Because there were fewer workers, they were able to demand more wages and better working conditions for their labor.

D. Life and Culture

Main idea: The later Middle Ages witnessed such cultural achievements as the beginnings of universities and the development of literature.

D. Life and Culture

Philosophy , Education, and Literature The first universities were

founded in western Europe. The most important

philosopher during Middle Ages was St. Thomas Aquinas. A great admirer of the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, Aquinas wanted to unite classical, Christian , and, worldly knowledge into a single system of belief.

Universities became legally recognized institutions of educations.

D. Life and Culture

Two Medieval Writers Dante Alighieri wrote

in the vernacular, or the language spoken by the residents of Florence.

Dante is regarded as the father of Italian literature.

The Divine Comedy, is often considered the most important Christian poem.