Urban Revival
Social reality in 13th century Europe Most peasants agricultural, illiterate, in poor health Nobles had vastly better lifestyle based on labors of 15-30 peasant families Very marked SOCIAL STRATIFICATION Women subordinate to men of all classes Increase in average temperatures meant rise of food supply OR Increase in economy due to re-integration into world system
What will be the consequences of the increase in food supply in the 14th century?
Malthusian Population Theory Food supply results in increase in population Population will outstrip resources (“scarcity”) Then population outstrips resources, population will be checked/limited by: War Disease Famine
Technology saves the day? Three-Field System Crop rotation Use of oats to fix nitrogen in soil
Migration saves the day? New lands opened up for farming by the Teutonic Knights or others Environmental impact of draining swamps, clearing of forests
Population kept increasing, Standard of living fell As population outstripped even improved resources, many Europeans living on edge of starvation Immune systems compromised
Microparasites save the day? The BLACK DEATH hit, killing 30% of population Impacted Europe in many ways Loss of belief in church (or increase in belief) Hedonism Loss of labor force meant lower supply of labor (able to demand higher wages, end to serfdom) Standard of living actually rose, e.g. more meat to go around BLACK DEATH KEPT COMING BACK THROUGH 18th CENTURY (!)
New technologies and the economy Pre-industrialization Diffusion of middle-eastern and Chinese technologies into Europe, widespread adoption Windmills Waterwheels Improved iron metallurgy
New industrialization brought pollution Reduction of forests meant reducing “carbon sink” Mining meant heavy metals leakage, polluting waters Many of greatest forests depleted during Middle Ages – old growth trees felled
Urban Revival Wealthy centers on Atlantic, Baltic, and Mediterranean
Causation for Urban Revival The Crusades: Re-connected Europe to Eurasian trade Assault on Christian city of Constantinople broke Byzantine power over trade through Dardanelles
Causation (cont) Increased trade under PAX MONGOLICA
Italian city-states benefited most Venice on east coast of Italy Genoa on west coast Venetian trade empire in Mediterranean
Venetian Maritime trade fortress on Crete
What features of Venice predisposed the city to maritime trade?
Northern European Hanseatic League Baltic sea trade to Atlantic Had trade warehouses throughout Europe
New manufacturing in Flanders Wool from England into tapestries
Trade fairs in Champagne King of France guaranteed safety for merchants Goods traded from all over
Generally, Europe revived and urbanized Re-connection to trade made urban centers possible End of serfdom allowed migration to cities Lack of monarchical authority allowed rise of independent, merchant-run city states