Trade, Towns, and Financial Revolution Ch 14.2

A Growing Food Supply Warming trend between 800 and 1200. Horsepower New farming lands developed Horsepower New harnesses needed, the yoke 3 field rotation vs. 2 field rotation 2 field= 1 on, 1 off 3 field= 1 summer, 1 winter, 1 off

Trade and Finance Expands Population growth helped expand trade. Fairs and trade Most traded their goods at fairs Cloth was the most traded commodity Bacon, salt, honey, cheese, wine, leather, dyes, knives, and ropes were others Guilds= association of people who worked at the same occupation Wheelwrights, glassmakers, winemakers, tailors, and druggists Controlled wages and prices Agreed to standard sizes, weights, and qualities Apprentice journeyman  gilded craftsman

Guilds An association of people who worked at the same occupation

A Financial Revolution Merchants made money selling their goods at fairs. Problem: Before you make any money, you have to make the goods, which costs money. But you haven’t made any money yet. Solution: Get a loan Problem: The Church forbade usury, or the practice of lending money with interest. Solution: Get loans from the Jews, who had no religious usury laws Problem: The Jews were making money off the Christians! Solution: The Church relaxed it usury laws. Moral of the Story: Jesus doesn’t mind you bending the laws, as long as the Church makes money.

Usury Jews were the money lenders of the Middle Ages.

Towns With the increase in trade, towns also grew. The large cities of today’s Europe were small towns for 100s of years As towns grew, so did the opportunities for success. Many serfs and peasants ran away from their manors and headed for the city. The burghers, or town dweller, class was born

Revival of Learning Universities: Not places, but people Dante Alighieri and Geoffrey Chaucer wrote in the contemporary vernacular. Normal people could not read or understand Latin The could understand their vernacular, though Muslim contributed to European learning Thomas Aquinas bridged the gap between religion and learning. Influenced by Aristotle He and his friends were known as schoolmen, or scholastics

Thomas aquinas He “bridged the gap” by questioning the works of Aristotle and showing what is written as faith may not be faith and what is reason, may not be reason.