Key Terms Rise of Trade and Towns
commerce
Guild
Apprentice
Journeyman
Master
Charter
Bourgeois
wares
“trades”
specialized
Black Death (bubonic plague)
Merchants - Craftspeople
Draw a picture or symbol for three separate vocabulary words (label the pictures)
At the start of the Middle Ages, most people lived in the countryside on FEUDAL MANORS_. By the 12th century, _TOWNS_ were growing around castles and along _TRADE_ routes. (4.1)
What brought most people to towns was _BUSINESS_. (4.4)
As TRADE and _COMMERCE_ grew so did towns. (4.4)
Medieval towns began as centers of _TRADE_ but became places where _GOODS_ were _MADE_(manufactured). (4.3)
With the growth of trade and commerce _MERCHANTS_ grew increasingly _WEALTHY_ and _POWERFUL_. (4.4)
Merchant guilds came to dominate the _BUSINESS_ _LIFE_ of towns and cities. (4.4)
The revival of town life in the late Middle Ages saw the rise of a new class called the _BOURGEOIS_ or _MIDDLE_ _CLASS_. (TPWS)
As towns grew wealthier, town dwellers began to _RESENT the lord’s feudal _RIGHTS_(laws/rules) and his demand for TAXES. (4.2)
Many towns became _INDEPENDENT_by purchasing a _ROYAL CHARTER_. (4.2)
Life in towns was _CROWDED_, _NOISEY_, and _DIRTY_. _DISEASES_ spread _RAPIDLY_. _CRIME_ was also a problem. (4.9)
The Black Death was a _PLAGUE/DISEASE_ that wiped out at least __25%_ of the population of Western Europe.
The growth of towns and trade led to a significant shift in medieval society, politics, and economics.
What two developments led to the growth of towns?
1. improvement in agriculture
2. revival of trade
What geographic features did many towns or trading centers develop near? Give examples: waterways – rivers or coastline
Venice and Genoa (Italy)
What types of people began to settle in towns?
Merchants and skilled workers or craftspeople
What industry helped the growth of towns and trade?
Banking
What powers could a charter grant a town?
Make laws
Govern themselves
Raise Taxes
Why were guilds established?
To provide protection to their workers
What did guilds have control over?
Hours worked
Prices of goods
Wages of workers
What roles did some merchant guilds take during the High Middle Ages?
They worked on and controlled Town Councils -- political power
Describe the steps of how a person became a member of a guild?
- apprentice at age 7/12 -> worked for 7 years (not paid)
- took a test to prove they mastered a skill
- if they passed became a journeyman (paid for work)
- became a master when they opened their own business
Describe how the Black Death spread throughout Western Europe:
(discuss both the actual “carriers” and the conditions that led to the spread of the disease)
Trade helped spread the disease across Europe
Conditions of towns helped the disease spread
Rats carried fleas who infected people
People transferred the disease to towns
Describe the shift of life styles from the common peasant to that of townspeople in the middle ages:
Peasant worked to survive – farmed, little to no freedom, had little
Townspeople – had more opportunities, increased wealth, freedoms, skilled worker
Explain the significance of the lords selling their land to the towns (and charters) and the rise of the merchant class:
By selling land and charters the nobles began to decline in power and feudalism was breaking down.
Thinking ahead:
Justify why the economic prosperity and desire for knowledge will eventually lead to the decline of Feudalism and the Medieval Church:
List various towns and what they “specialized” in manufacturing:
1.
2.
Explain why the manufacturing of “necessities,” the specialization of products in towns, and merchant fairs helped to stimulate the medieval economy:
(connect this question with the concepts of supply and demand and job creation)
Read the article about the relationship between democracy and the middle class.
What was the underlying message from these authors?
In our current economic state, the gap between the rich and poor has increased greatly and some experts believe the middle class in America is shrinking. If that statement is true what does this mean about American democracy?