Towns and Trade

Keene

• Argues that rural improvements (crop rotation, stronger iron for ploughs etc.) created population surpluses, with not as many people needing to work the farm, so they migrated to cities and traded instead

• Fairs ‘linked and focused markets, thereby reducing the uncertainties and costs of long-distance trade’

Bautier

Argues that merchants were given more protection by lords (i.e. Count of Champagne and “market safe conduct”), which fostered trade

Barber

Argues that transportation was improved, especially nautical transport (development of compass, stern-post rudder etc.)

Hunt

Commercial expansion occurred as lords and rulers realised there was mutual benefit, so they encouraged it and facilitated trade in their towns

Oldfield

Argues that government centralisation reduced military and political disorder, so economy had a chance to flourish

Jean Favier

“The success of the Champagne fairs can be attributed solely to this intelligent policy of applying public order to business”

Duby

Argues that feudalism is a “revolution” in the 11^th Century

Barthelemy

Argues that violence and “feudalism” remained, but the sources describing this violence changed

Brown

Feudalism is a “tyranny of a construct” – it is not a pyramid system, and is not something Europe was naturally progressing to

Keene

Argues that long distance trade developed, particularly with the Islamic World – Alexandria in Egypt became a major trading hub in Mediterranean

Bautier

The annual, “international” fairs at Champagne and Flanders offered a centralisation of trade, introduced tax exemptions and provided debt settlements

Insoll

Argues that key trade routes between the Sahel and North Africa developed

Lopez

Argues that early forms of banking developed, in the form of pawnbrokers, deposit banking and merchant banking   

Oldfield

Argues that commercialisation allowed wealthy groups more political independence from lords (i.e. in York, traders successfully negotiated taxation for any products entering the town)

Keene

Development of trade led to huge amount of urban growth, with a lot more settlement in the cities (i.e. Cologne expanding its are within its city walls from 112 to 223 hectares in 1106)

Bautier

Argues that economisation led to a growth in infrastructure, such as roads between Champagne and Paris, which led to a growth in Urbanisation as well

Farmer

Argues that urbanisation and economisation led to marginalisation, especially of single, working-class women, yet this created a community in itself

Wickham

Argues that Italians “sleepwalked” into communes – they weren’t really planned but naturally arose