Rise of Towns and Trade

Chapter 27

Introduction

• Life was good in Europe• People wanted luxury items like sugar, spices,

silks, and dyes from the East• Travel and trade increased

Trading Centers

• Two important trading centers arose: Venice and Flanders

• Venetian merchants developed a banking system

• Flemish merchants turned raw materials into finished products (wool into cloth)

Merchants

• Learned to read, write, use money, and keep records

• Traveled by land and sea• Stopped to trade with each other at yearly

fairs sponsored by feudal lords• Lords collected taxes on the sales

Merchants

• Set up booths to display wares such as pots, swords, armor, leather goods, and clothing

• Bartered at first, then began paying with money

Growth of Towns

• Merchants wanted a permanent settlement• Chose places near waterways or road

crossings along a trade route, and near castles, fortresses, or monasteries for protection

Growth of Towns

• Towns developed from merchant settlements• Towns came to be called burgs• Grew and attracted more people• Held weekly fairs• Became communities of merchants, runaway

serfs, traders, wanderers, and artisans

The Black Death

• Towns were crowded, dirty, unhealthy places to live

• In the 1300s, diseased rats brought the Bubonic Plague to Europe

• Millions died• Probably 1 out of 3 Europeans died of the plague• People left towns and fled to the countryside to

escape it

Burghers and Lords

• Burghers (rich merchants and artisans) gained more wealth and power

• Feudal lords did not like the burghers having power

• Burghers developed a sense of loyalty to their town and worked together to build schools, hospitals and churches

Communes

• Towns formed political groups called communes to oppose the feudal lords

• The communes became independent city-states

• Towns received charters from the king that allowed them to control their own affairs

The Rise of Guilds

• Merchants, artisans, and workers formed guilds, or business groups whose purpose was to ensure equal treatment for members

• Couldn’t compete with one another• Worked same hours• Same number of workers• Same wages

Becoming a Guild Member

ApprenticeTrainee for 10 years under master

JourneymanWorked under master for a daily wage

MasterPassed exam and could practice his craft/trade

Cultural Changes

• As townspeople grew richer and more powerful, they began turning away from feudalism and looking to kings to provide leadership

• Why?