Powerpoint on the makeup of Medieval towns

2. Agriculture
 During the Middle Ages the technology and techniques of
agriculture improved
 At the start, manors produced only enough food to support the
peasants and the Lord's family
 Better technology and improved technique allowed peasants to
produce more food, and population grew
 The Wheeled Plow with Iron Blades allowed workers to cut the soil
deeper with less work
 The Horse Collar allowed horses to work the plows rather than oxen
 Watermills and windmills were used to grind wheat into flour
 Crop Rotation – fields were planted in thirds (1/3 planted in fall, 1/3
planted in spring and 1/3 fallow), meaning that 2/3 were being used to
plant

3. Trade
 Because of the improvement in agriculture, fewer peasants
were needed to work the fields so some started producing
metal and cloth goods.
 Nobles heard of luxury items from the East such as sugar,
spices, silks and dyes and demand for these goods grew
 Some towns grew into trading cities, and Europe developed
two major markets: one in the north, France and Flanders and
one in the south, Italy
 As trade grew, merchants started to use gold and silver coins
for currency
 Wealthy merchants established banks

4. Flanders and France
 The region of Flanders, in modern Belgium, became a center
of trade for Northern Europe
 Towns such as Bruges and Ghent became famous for their
high quality woolen clothes, attracting merchants from all over
Europe
 In northern France, trade fairs were established, and
merchants from northern Europe would trade wool, honey,
furs, and tin with merchants from Italy who carried metal
weapons, cloths and silks, dyes, and spices from the East

5. Italy
 Cities in Italy started to grow from trade in the
Mediterranean Sea
 Cities such as Venice, Pisa and Genoa grew to be large
trading centers and built a vast fleet of merchant ships
 By 1200, the Italian cities were competing with the
Byzantine Empire for control of the Mediterranean trade.

6. Governments
 As towns and cities grew, a middle class emerged from the
merchants, bankers and artisan crafters.
 These townspeople grew tired of being controlled by the
nobles and used their wealth to gain basic rights such as
freedom from military service, self-government, and the right to
buy and sell property.
 Towns established city councils which were elected by the
citizens (only males could be citizens) to create laws and serve
as judges.

7. City Life
 Although city people enjoyed extra freedom,
wealth and the protection of huge stone walls, life
in the cities could be quite difficult at times
 Houses were crammed together
 Heat came from fire so smoke and ashes filled
the air
 Streets were used as toilets and were rarely
cleaned
 Women managed the house, the children and the
finances and still had to help out with their
husband's trade