Download The Growth of Medieval Towns

Life in Medieval Towns
EQ: What was life like in medieval towns?
Visual Vocabulary
1. Charter
• A written grant of rights and
privileges by a ruler or
government to a
community, class of people,
or organization
2. Guild
• An organization of people in
the same craft or trade.
Visual Vocabulary Cont
3. Apprentice
• A person who works for a
master in a trade or craft in
return for training.
4. Journeyman
• A craftsperson who found
work “by the day”, instead
of becoming a master who
employed other workers.
Visual Vocabulary Cont
5. Commerce
• The buying and selling of
goods
6. Leprosy
• A skin and nerve disease
that causes open sores on
the body and can lead to
serious complications and
death.
Visual Vocabulary Cont
7. Bubonic Plague
• A deadly contagious disease
caused by bacteria and
spread by fleas.
8. Common law
• A body of rulings made by
judges that become part of
a nation’s legal system.
Visual Vocabulary Cont
9. Minstrel
• A singer or a musician who
sang and recited poems to
music played on a harp or
other instrument
The Growth of Medieval Towns
• Towns were often
located next to rivers
or along seacoasts,
which made trade
easier.
• Improved farming
methods and trade
contributed to the
growth of towns.
The Growth of Medieval Towns (cont.)
• Towns were part of
the domain of a
feudal lord.
• Some places, violence
broke out as towns
struggled for
independence.
• Other places, a royal
charter was
purchased which
allowed the members
of a medieval town to
govern themselves.
• Guilds were
associations of
people who
practiced the same
craft.
• They were set up to
make sure their
members were
treated fairly,
established work
hours, and produced
quality goods.
Guilds
Guilds (continued)
• At age 12 a person would
become an apprentice.
After 7 years he could
become a journeyman.
• Some craft guilds were
cobblers, masons, and
cloth makers.
• Items produced by guilds
included household
items, shoes, belts,
leather goods, glass,
stone for building, steel
for tools and weapons,
and fabrics (wool, silk)
• Guilds provided members
with money and food in
times of need.
Trade and Commerce
• Goods were distributed
through trade routes,
markets, and merchant
fairs.
• Merchant fairs were
large and sold goods
from all over Europe
and the East. They
attracted merchants
from many countries.
Trade and Commerce (cont.)
• Merchants became
wealthy and powerful
by selling a variety of
goods from faraway
lands, dominating the
town’s business life
and joining town
councils.
How is this different than what
we learned about the feudal
system?
Life in Medieval Towns
Treatment of Jews
• Because of hostility,
Jews were not allowed
to own land and found
it hard to earn a living
by farming.
• Rulers could take their
property/belongings at
will.
• Jews became bankers
and moneylenders
since Christians were
forbidden to join those
occupations. (it was
viewed as sinful to
charge interest)
Homes and Households
• Homes in medieval
towns were small,
crowded and built of
wood; often several
families in one house.
• The homes of the
wealthy were much
larger with multiple
levels for business,
home, and servants.
• Rooms were cold,
smoky, and dim
because fireplaces
were the only source of
heat and light.
Homes and Households (cont.)
• About half of all
children died before
becoming adults.
• Children began
preparing for their
adult roles at 7.
• Most girls were
married by 15.
• Girls were taught
cooking, cloth making,
and other skills for
running a home. Boys
typically followed in
their father’s footsteps.
Disease and Medical Treatment
• Unhealthy living
conditions and the lack of
understanding of how
diseases spread caused
many deaths.
• People disposed of their
garbage and waste into
nearby streams, canals,
or on the streets. In some
areas designated
locations were made to
use for restroom.
• Some common diseases
in medieval Europe were
leprosy, measles, cholera,
scarlet fever and bubonic
plague.
Disease and Medical Treatment (cont.)
• Most people were
treated at home by
family members.
• Medieval doctors
used prayer, magic,
and herbal
medicines.
Bloodletting was
also popular.
Disease and Medical Treatment (cont.)
• Because people
were unsure how
diseases were
spread. Jews were
sometimes
accused of
murdering children
and poisoning
wells.
Crime and Punishment
• Towns were poorly
lit, and streets were
filled with
pickpockets and
thieves.
• The methods of
justice were
• trial by ordeal
• trial by combat
• Both punishments
depended on God to
determine the
outcome.
Crime and Punishment (cont.)
• Fines and the stocks
were used to punish
those found guilty of
minor crimes. Those
convicted of more
serious crimes were
hanged or burned at
the stake.
• Beginning in the 12th
century, court inquiries
were used to
determine a person’s
guilt or innocence.
• Prior court decisions
made up common law.
Leisure and Entertainment
• Children played with dolls
and toys, such as wooden
swords and hobbyhorses.
They also rolled hoops
and played badminton,
lawn bowling, and blind
man’s bluff.
• Adults liked chess,
checkers, and
backgammon. Card
games, dice games, and
dancing were also
popular.
Leisure and Entertainment (cont.)
• Mystery plays recreated stories from
the Bible. Miracle
plays dramatized the
lives of saints.
• The church
disapproved of
mystery and miracle
plays, but most
townspeople enjoyed
them.