1. 1.2.2. The Middle Ages (5thC-14thC) After the fall of the Roman Empire, around the 5th Century, the city underwent a big backward movement in the Western countries. The constant wars and deep instability led to very small cities, of 15,000 inhabitants at most, of deep agricultural nature and with very few public buildings. Regular plans are abandoned and round plants are chosen. They are much easier to defend. In their center, there is the main square and the few government bodies. The medieval city is: A fortified city. A closed place inside the agricultural and forest landscapes. It was a defensive fortress and refuge for his inhabitants and peasants. It turns out into the main market nearby. Medieval plan of Lübeck, Germany
6. borough During the Early Middle Ages, a borough was a fortified castle located in the border of the feudal lord’s domains. They used it to defend a territory. With the time, they built houses around these fortresses because they were a guarantee of security. The resultant towns were called “borough” and they were inhabited by merchants and craftsmen because they felt safe and they paid fewer taxes there. During the Late Middle Ages, the borough are the areas out of the main walls. In this burgo there appear activities different from the agriculture which make possible the growth of monetary economics. Plan of the French town of Carcossonne (France). 12thC
9. The jobs become specialized and they make guilds, which were associations of merchants and craftsmen who made the same (or similar) job. Thanks to the guilds and the city anonymity, the people could get free from the feudal servitude. The air of the city made people free. In the 12th and 13th centuries the first universities are born in the cities. The city become a synonym for culture. Before, if you wanted to study, you had to enter a religious order. Some of the first European universities were Oxford (England), Bolonia (Italy) and Palencia (Spain, later University of Valladolid).
