1. Peasants, Trade, and Cities
Chapter 10 Section 1
Peasants, Trade, and Cities

2. I. The New Agriculture
The number of people in Europe doubled between 1000 and 1300
Increased food production and stability in government allowed for the population to rise

3. Food production increased because a climate change improved growing conditions and more land was cleared to be used for cultivation
Europe had more land being farmed in 1200 than it does today

4. Many inventions also made farming easier
Iron was used to make scythes, axes, hoes, saws, hammers, and nails
The carruca was a heavy wheeled plow with an iron plowshare pulled by animals which sped up the farming process
Horses were shoed for the first time allowing them to carry more weight
Farming villages had to buy one plow as a community because of their expense

5. The three field system as well as inventions and climate change all helped to bring about a huge leap in food production allowing for a population boom

6. II. The Manorial System
Medieval landholding nobles were an elite military who used their free time to prepare for war
Peasants worked the lords’ estates on the fiefs of the vassals, these estates made money to support the nobles.
Agricultural estates were called manors

7. About half of the land in a manor belonged to the lord
The other half was used by serfs to raise food
Serf- peasants legally bound to the land who worked the land of the lord and paid rent out of what they raised for themselves

8. By 800, 60% of the population was serfs, they had to raise what they could to survive and had to pay rents for the land, for fishing, and for the local church
Lords had legal rights over serfs but they were not slaves and their land could not be taken away without a reason

9. III. Daily life of the Peasantry
European peasant life was simple with little privacy.
Peasants lived in one or two room cottages built with wood frames surrounded by sticks
Spaces between the sticks were filled with straw and rubble, and then plastered over with clay
Roofs were thatched.
A central hearth was used for heating and cooking, there were few windows and no chimney, smoke escaped out cracks and through the thatch.

10. The seasons determined peasant life and work
Harvest time (August and September)- life was very hectic
October- peasants prepared the ground for winter planting
November- slaughtering of excess animals because usually there was not enough food to keep them alive all winter

11. February and March-plowing for spring planting
Meat was salted to keep it preserved
February and March-plowing for spring planting
Summer- lighter work on the estate

12. The Catholic church had several feast days or holidays
The Catholic church had several feast days or holidays. On these days, peasants did not have to work
Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, plus days dedicated to saints like The Virgin Mary
There were more than 50 days a year that were celebrated as holidays

13. The Village Church was very important to the manorial system.
Priests taught peasants Christian ideas to help them achieve salvation
Most village priests couldn’t read so it is questionable how well they could teach the Bible

14. Women worked along side men in the field and they were also responsible for raising children and running the household.
Most women had many children in one lifetime as children were needed to do chores and only about ½ of the children survived into adulthood

15. The peasant’s diet was okay
They mostly ate bread that was baked in community ovens
Their bread was dark and contained wheat, rye, barley, millet, and oats
Meat was usually only eaten on Easter and Christmas, but they did have vetetables, fruit, cheese and eggs

16. Grains were used for making ale, this drink was drunk more often that water because one could not always account for the health or cleanliness of drinking water

17. IV. The Revival of Trade
In the 11th and 12th centuries there was a revival of trade which led to the growth of cities again
During the early middle ages, most cities declined in population as people moved to rural areas and focused on farming and feudalism

18. Italian cities were the first to flourish from trade
Venice became very powerful and rich as a trading center between the middle east and Europe
Flanders in modern Belgium was known for trading valuable wool all throughout Europe

19. Trade fairs were started where merchants could exchange furs, cloth, tin, honey, and swords with people from all over Europe
Demand for gold and silver rose because of trading fairs and markets
Money economy- people can buy things with money rather than trade for them
Commercial capitalism- people make money by selling their goods

20. V. The Growth of Cities
Because trade grew, more people began to settle in cities
Merchants and artisans had skills and could make goods that could be sold
New cities and towns were founded usually near a castle so they could have the protection of a lord
If the city had enough money it built a wall for protection all around the city

21. The merchants and artisans of prosperous cities became known as bourgeoisie
Medieval European cities were small in comparison with cities in the Arab world and Constantinople
Towns were tied to the Lords and lands around them
Townspeople were much more free than serf not living in cities

22. Some towns eventually gained the right to govern themselves free of the local lord
The governments were run by men who were wealthy and powerful, the patricians

23. VI Daily Life in the Medieval City
Medieval towns were surrounded by stone walls which meant that space inside them was tight
Houses were close to one another and streets were narrow
Fire was a great danger since all houses were wooden and close together

24. Towns were very unpleasant
Cities were dirty and smelled of human and animal waste
Air pollution from wood fires was constant
Blood from slaughtered animals and chemicals from tanning went into rivers so cities had to rely on wells for drinking water

25. Cities had private and public baths until the plague when they were shut down
Women were fairly independent in cities and could run businesses alongside men

26. VII. Industry and Guilds
Cities were important manufacturing centers for cloth, metalwork, shoes, and leather goods
In the 11th century, craftspeople organized themselves into guilds
Guild-an association of a group of people that do the same work, this association sets regulations regarding that work

27. Guilds set quality standards, methods of production, and determined how many people could enter the guild.
In order to learn a trade, one had to become an apprentice
Apprentice- a person who spends 5 to 7 years with a master craftsman to learn a trade

28. After being an apprentice, one becomes a journeyman- a person who works for wages to another master
Finally, if they produce a masterpiece ( a finished product in their craft) they will be admitted to their guild as a master craftsman