Chapter 10 Section 1

Peasants, Trade, and Cities

I. The New Agriculture

The number of people in Europe doubled between 1000 and 1300

Increased food production and stability in government allowed for the population to rise

Food production increased because a climate change improved growing conditions and more land was cleared to be used for cultivation

Europe had more land being farmed in 1200 than it does today

Many inventions also made farming easier Iron was used to make scythes, axes, hoes,

saws, hammers, and nails The carruca was a heavy wheeled plow with an

iron plowshare pulled by animals which sped up the farming process

Horses were shoed for the first time allowing them to carry more weight

Farming villages had to buy one plow as a community because of their expense

The three field system as well as inventions and climate change all helped to bring about a huge leap in food production allowing for a population boom

II. The Manorial System

Medieval landholding nobles were an elite military who used their free time to prepare for war

Peasants worked the lords’ estates on the fiefs of the vassals, these estates made money to support the nobles.

Agricultural estates were called manors

About half of the land in a manor belonged to the lord

The other half was used by serfs to raise food

Serf- peasants legally bound to the land who worked the land of the lord and paid rent out of what they raised for themselves

By 800, 60% of the population was serfs, they had to raise what they could to survive and had to pay rents for the land, for fishing, and for the local church

Lords had legal rights over serfs but they were not slaves and their land could not be taken away without a reason

III. Daily life of the Peasantry

European peasant life was simple with little privacy.

Peasants lived in one or two room cottages built with wood frames surrounded by sticks

Spaces between the sticks were filled with straw and rubble, and then plastered over with clay

Roofs were thatched. A central hearth was used for heating and

cooking, there were few windows and no chimney, smoke escaped out cracks and through the thatch.

The seasons determined peasant life and work

Harvest time (August and September)- life was very hectic

October- peasants prepared the ground for winter planting

November- slaughtering of excess animals because usually there was not enough food to keep them alive all winter

Meat was salted to keep it preserved

February and March-plowing for spring planting

Summer- lighter work on the estate

The Catholic church had several feast days or holidays. On these days, peasants did not have to work

Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, plus days dedicated to saints like The Virgin Mary

There were more than 50 days a year that were celebrated as holidays

The Village Church was very important to the manorial system.

Priests taught peasants Christian ideas to help them achieve salvation

Most village priests couldn’t read so it is questionable how well they could teach the Bible

Women worked along side men in the field and they were also responsible for raising children and running the household.

Most women had many children in one lifetime as children were needed to do chores and only about ½ of the children survived into adulthood

The peasant’s diet was okayThey mostly ate bread that was baked in

community ovensTheir bread was dark and contained

wheat, rye, barley, millet, and oatsMeat was usually only eaten on Easter

and Christmas, but they did have vetetables, fruit, cheese and eggs

Grains were used for making ale, this drink was drunk more often that water because one could not always account for the health or cleanliness of drinking water

IV. The Revival of Trade

In the 11th and 12th centuries there was a revival of trade which led to the growth of cities again

During the early middle ages, most cities declined in population as people moved to rural areas and focused on farming and feudalism

Italian cities were the first to flourish from trade

Venice became very powerful and rich as a trading center between the middle east and Europe

Flanders in modern Belgium was known for trading valuable wool all throughout Europe

Trade fairs were started where merchants could exchange furs, cloth, tin, honey, and swords with people from all over Europe

Demand for gold and silver rose because of trading fairs and markets

Money economy- people can buy things with money rather than trade for them

Commercial capitalism- people make money by selling their goods

V. The Growth of Cities

Because trade grew, more people began to settle in cities

Merchants and artisans had skills and could make goods that could be sold

New cities and towns were founded usually near a castle so they could have the protection of a lord

If the city had enough money it built a wall for protection all around the city

The merchants and artisans of prosperous cities became known as bourgeoisie

Medieval European cities were small in comparison with cities in the Arab world and Constantinople

Towns were tied to the Lords and lands around them

Townspeople were much more free than serf not living in cities

Some towns eventually gained the right to govern themselves free of the local lord

The governments were run by men who were wealthy and powerful, the patricians

VI Daily Life in the Medieval City

Medieval towns were surrounded by stone walls which meant that space inside them was tight

Houses were close to one another and streets were narrow

Fire was a great danger since all houses were wooden and close together

Towns were very unpleasantCities were dirty and smelled of human

and animal wasteAir pollution from wood fires was constantBlood from slaughtered animals and

chemicals from tanning went into rivers so cities had to rely on wells for drinking water

Cities had private and public baths until the plague when they were shut down

Women were fairly independent in cities and could run businesses alongside men

VII. Industry and Guilds

Cities were important manufacturing centers for cloth, metalwork, shoes, and leather goods

In the 11th century, craftspeople organized themselves into guilds

Guild-an association of a group of people that do the same work, this association sets regulations regarding that work

Guilds set quality standards, methods of production, and determined how many people could enter the guild.

In order to learn a trade, one had to become an apprentice

Apprentice- a person who spends 5 to 7 years with a master craftsman to learn a trade

After being an apprentice, one becomes a journeyman- a person who works for wages to another master

Finally, if they produce a masterpiece ( a finished product in their craft) they will be admitted to their guild as a master craftsman