Chapter 14 Section 3 The Growth Of Towns

Review Pope Urban called on Europeans to join in a Crusade against who? the decline in trade in medieval times was caused by the _______ system Where did most early merchants sold their goods? Under what system do workers made a part of a product in their homes? What was the most important purpose of early banks ?

The Rights of Townspeople {European towns and cities grew larger along with the revival of trade in the Middle Ages} Manor lords still controlled the towns, but some lords granted the towns charter of liberties. A charter is a written statement of the towns rights. {In time all townspeople, including serfs, throughout Europe gained 4 basic rights:} Freedom. Anyone living in a town for 1 year and 1 day became free Exemption. Townspeople won the right to be free from ever having to work the manor again Town Justice. Towns had their own courts tried by townspeople Commercial privileges. Townspeople could sell goods freely in the town market and could charge tolls to outsiders

Guilds As towns grew larger and richer, merchants and workers formed guilds Each town had a merchant guild. It had the sole right to trade there and others had to pay a fee to trade there. The guilds also helped each other and their families out if anything happened to them In time skilled workers came together in craft guilds Each guild had members from a single craft Perhaps most important, the craft guilds controlled the training of skilled workers

Continued…. Fist step was an apprentice. Parents would pay a master worker to house, feed, clothe and train their boy. Could take 5-9 years Next, he became a journeyman- A skilled worker paid to work for a master craftsman Once he created a masterpiece that was approved by a master, he could open his own shop and become a master himself. In time guild members, merchants and master workers became the middle class. A class between the nobles and peasants

A master painter or a journeyman works on a masterpiece while the apprentice mixes the paint.

Medieval Towns Towns offered surfs a chance to change their lives Some left seeking freedom some were let go due to the change in farming methods Serfs who stayed on the manors sold their crops in the markets and paid the lord with money instead of servitude Most cities had little land area so houses were built several stories high Each story extended a little beyond the one below it. At their tops the houses almost touched over the middle of the street. Darkening the roadway below

The Black Death Many parts of the cities were dark, unsafe, dirty and unhealthy. Waste was dumped into open gutters. Disease spread quickly through the cities One such disease started in 1347. The Black Death The plague began in Asia and spread along the trade routes. It entered ports by way of trade ships Black rats on the ship carried the disease and the plague was spread to people by bites from fleas that were on the rats {Increased trade in the Middle Ages helped the Black Death spread quickly around the world}

Continued… By some estimates about 1/3 of the entire population of Europe died of the plague The Black Death caused many changes in Europe People’s faith in God was shaken and the church lost some of its power Workers, now in short supply, demanded higher wages, and in several countries peasants staged uprisings

Review What grew larger along with the revival of trade in the Middle Ages What helped the Black Death spread quickly around the world? the decline in trade in medieval times was caused by the _______ system Under what system do workers made a part of a product in their homes?