Key Terms – The Growth of European Urban Centers

Three-field system Italian City- States Hanseatic League

Growth of Cities

During the Early Middle Ages, many territories were sparsely populated and towns were separated by large forests and unused land.

With the changes in agriculture, populations could grow and be sustained with the growing food supply.

Textiles were also made at a faster rate leading to a growth in manufacturing.

The need to move these manufactured goods at a faster pace would lead to the growth of cities near rivers and seas.

The introduction to the East via the Crusades also encourage long-distance trading.

Agricultural Changes During the Early Middle Ages,

farming was unreliable and inconsistent which discouraged the growth of populations.

Europeans began to improve their farming techniques and technology.

Some of these improvements were:

The introduction of an iron plow

Better record keeping The Three-Field system →

the use of two fields to farm and one field as fallow to help maintain the nutrients of the soil

The Italian City-States

The growth of long-distance trade helped increase the economic strength and populations of coastal cities in Italy.

These cities were Genoa, Pisa and Venice.

They were protected by navies they had paid for and constructed.

They used contact with other groups, like the Crusaders, as a means of extending their influence to outlying areas

The Growth of Banking

With the growth of trade, an emphasis on token economies grew since land could not be traded as easily.

Banking grew from this new relationship since there was now a need for investment, savings, and safe transportation of money.

Italian banks were most known for establishing banking networks across the Mediterranean and other areas of Europe and Africa.

The Hanseatic League

Hanseatic League → union of Scandinavian and German cities that served as banks and traders in Northern Europe.

The Hanseatic League grew in the 14th and 15th Centuries because:

Italian banks failed after lending large amounts of money to France and Britain which were never paid back.

Constantinople being conquered and under the control of the Muslims which subsequently cut off the Mediterranean trade