Rebirth of Urban Life• Before 1200, no town in Western Europe had
more than 30,000 inhabitants• Functions:– Administrative centers of the Church or political
leader– Fortified enclosures: provided protection to rural
population under attack– Centers of local and international exchange
Medieval Trade
Urban Social Organization• Hierarchical• Noble (patrician)—a well-known family with a
position, strength, or longevity; – required land in the countryside or merchant trade
in towns– Usually derived from military service– Appointed by higher nobility to the “privilege”
• Townsmen—Middle class; own or work in shops to earn income to pay taxes to the nobles
• Peasants—farmers who brought crops to market
Political/Societal Pyramid (post-1200)Hereditary monarchs
Noble families
Townsmen—subordinate to a lord
Serfs (semifree) or slaves
Towns and Commerce
• Magnets for skilled labor and goods• Guilds within the towns controlled the
production and price of goods of a certain craft
• Most peasants were allowed to bring their crops to town to sell
• Merchant guilds controlled in flow of a variety of goods from foreign markets and price.
Medieval Guilds
Guild Hall
Commercial Monopoly: Controlled membership
apprentice journeyman master craftsman
Controlled quality of the product [masterpiece].
Controlled prices
Medieval Guilds: A Goldsmith’s Shop
Crest of a Cooper’s Guild
Late Medieval Town Dwellings
Universities and Scholasticism
• Founding of the first universities in towns• Variety of subjects taught but theology guided
most subjects• Scholasticism became the focus of most
universitiesthe use of reason and research to investigate and solve problems
Medieval Universities
Oxford University
Government and Church
• Lack of structured gov’t• Kings and queens are starting to build their
gov’ts but often clash with nobles over power• Catholic Church reached its height of political,
spiritual, and cultural influence• The Pope was more powerful than
kings/queens
The NobilityPrinces of bloo
d (royal
family)
Mediatized princes—dependant on another prince
Dukes, earls, counts
Barons or Knights
*higher the title=more land owned by the family