2. Apprencite (aprendiz): the first stage to become an artisan. An apprentice worked for no
salary and learned the trade from a master.
Bills of Exchange (letras de pago): orders of payment that could be exchanged for money.
Black Death (Peste Negra): a bacterial disease which spread across Europe between 1347 and
1352, killing 25 million people.
Bourgeoisie (burguesía): an urban elite of merchants and artisans.
Charity (caridad): giving to the poor or those in need.
Charter (fuero): a legal document from the king that established self-government for a city.
City hall (ayuntamiento): a council made up of councillors and a mayor to govern a city.
Credit (crédito): a system of finance where merchants couald acquire godos or services without
having to pay immediately.
3. Famine (hambruna): a widespread lack of food for a population.
Crop rotation (rotación de cultivos): leaving part of a field fallow to allow the soil to rest.
Guild (gremio): an association of artisans of the same trade.
Hanseatic League (Liga Hanseática): an association of merchants trading across the Baltic
and Atlantic.
Journeyman (oficial): the second stage to become an artisan. A young man who worked for
different masters and received a salary.
Master (maestro): the owner of a workshop who had the required tools and skills for a trade.
Parliament (parlamento/Cortes): an assembly of nobles, clergy and wealthy residents that
assembled at a monarch’s request to raise taxes and help fund war efforts.
Plague (plaga): a contagious bacterial disease.
