Download The New Millennium

The New
Millennium
Agricultural Revolution
Economic Expansion
Church Reform
Politics in Europe
Revolution in Agriculture
By the end of the 13th the technical level of medieval
agriculture had far surpassed the ancients and the surplus
allowed some peasants to engage in other work
 The heavy plow (8th from the east through the Slavs)
 The horse collar (9th from the east) and horse shoes (9thfrom Celts??) )allowed horses to be used- efficient
 Water mills and wind mills for grinding grain (12th Europe)
 Three field system (only 1/3 of land fallow)
 Cultivation of virgin lands
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Leads to tenant farming
By 1350 serfdom of peasants in France fell from 90% (1050) to
only 10%
A Commercial Revolution
Italians and Jews had kept trade alive throughout
the early middle ages
 By the 11th century sea forces of Italian trading
cities cleared Muslim fleets from the
Mediterranean
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Venice, Amalfi, Genoa, and Pisa grew into commercial
capitols
Expanding population in the North created a huge
market for Italian merchants to supply
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A class of traders emerges
Italy becomes the hub between the East and West
Medieval Trade
European Economy
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International Fairs
Lasted 3-6 weeks and lords protected
merchants
 New banking practices, credit, venture
capital, corporations and insurance would
develop in Italy and spread north
 Fairs aided the rebirth of Northern towns
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Medieval Italy
Rebirth of Towns
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Town began emerging in the 11th century and
by the 12th they were active centers of
commerce and intellect
Surplus agriculture could support urbanization
They emerged in places conducive to trade,
outside fortified castles, monasteries, and
surviving Roman sites
Cities were crowded and walled
Guilds were developed to protect the
interests of the trades
Organization
Because many towns were on land that
belonged to lords or old Roman towns that
belonged to bishops, these communities were
first under feudal authority
 Townspeople (burghers) began obtaining
charters to break from the feudal system and
set up assemblies
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Towns became the first self-governed city-states
since Greco-Roman days
They also revived other old traditions like civic
involvement and city feasts
The Rise of States
Feudalism fostered local regionalism
and the church’s dream of a Respublica
Christiana almost came to fruition
 But Europe would never again possess
the same kind of spiritual unity
 Gradually people began to transfer their
loyalty away from the Church or local
lords to the king
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