Economic and Cultural Revival

Economic and Cultural Revival

The Crusades were a stepping stone in the cultural and technological advancement of

Western civilization.

Agriculture

• New ___________________– More soil open for cultivating

• ________________ replaces ox yoke– Horses can now plow (faster)

• _______________________crop rotation – improved production

Manorial system

• Feudalism– ___________________________between nobles

• Manorialism– __________________________between lords and

peasants

The feudal system was a political and social system. A related system governed medieval economics. This system was called the manorial system because it was built around large estates called manors.

• Manors owned by wealthy lords, knights

• Peasants farmed manor fields

• Were given protection, plots of land to cultivate for selves

Lords, Peasants, and Serfs • Most peasants on

farm were serfs, tied to manor

• Not slaves, could not be sold away from manor

• But could not leave, marry without lord’s permission

Serfdom • Manors had some

free people who rented land from lord

• Others included landowning peasants, skilled workers like blacksmiths, millers

• Also had a priest for spiritual needs

Free People

The Manorial System

• Most of manor’s land occupied by fields for crops, pastures for animals• Middle Ages farmers learned that leaving field empty for year improved soil• In time, practice developed into three-field crop rotation system

• One field planted in spring for fall harvest

• Another field planted in winter for spring harvest

• Third field remained unplanted for year

Rotation• Each manor included fortified

house for noble family, village for peasants, serfs

• Goal to make manor self-sufficient• Typical manor also included church,

mill, blacksmith

Small Village

A Typical Manor

The Medieval Manor

Peasant Household: Cycle of Labour

• Houses a single room: few windows and no chimney…little privacy

• August September- _______________• October – _____________________________• November – ________________________• Feb. March – ________________________• Summer – __________________________

Feast Days Food and Drink

• Christmas, Easter and Pentecost• Saint’s days• Over 50 days of the year.• _____________(dark and heavy) and

___________(3 gallons)

Trade• Rebirth of towns led to expansion of

trade, towns flourish.• _____________, _____________and

______________important Mediterranean trading towns– Silks and spices

• __________________– textiles– Center of trade in on north coast

Banking

• Money economy arose out of __________________________________________________________________

• Led to growth of banking• Feudal lords become dependent on money,

serfs become able to ____________________• Decline in feudalism

Growth of towns

• Towns grow up along __________________________

• _____________________________protected against marauding bandits (burg –German walled city)

• Narrow winding streets, no sanitation, dirty, noisy, thatched roofs fire prone, disease prone. (Black Death)

Guilds

• _________________ guilds– Maintain local monopoly for members– Foreign traders restricted– Pricing uniform

• _________________ guilds– Regulated work of artisans– Price controls, advertising controls, standards of

quality

Craft guilds

• ______________________– Worked for a master without pay to

learn craft• ____________________

– Works for pay under a master• Upon approval of masterpiece, could

become a master• __________________________

– Owned own shop and tools

Rise of middle class

• Town (burg) leads to _______________________– Bourgeoisie– Burgher– burgesses

• towns people derived wealth not from the land; __________________________________________________________________

• Kings depend on middle class for loans and tax income

Town government / feudal lords

• Urban dwellers lived outside the feudal system and resented paying taxes and services to lords

• Wanted their own government and laws• Feudal lords respond with

__________________________________________________________________________

Town government

• Money economy gave towns income and independence from lords

• Italy – ___________________ led to independent city

states• Europe

– __________________granted by kings and nobles gave towns self government