Chapter 11 Sec 4

I. An Agricultural Revolution

1. What new farming technology allowed deeper plowing of the soil?

   • The new iron plow.

2. How did the new harness improve farming efficiency?

   • It allowed people to use horses instead of oxen, making plowing faster.

3. What was the purpose of windmills?

   • They were used to grind grain into flour.

B. Expanding Production

4. How did peasants increase land for farming?

   • They cleared forests, drained swamps, and reclaimed wasteland.

5. What was the three-field system?

   • A crop rotation method where:

     • The 1st field was planted with grain.

     • The 2nd field was planted with peas or beans.

     • The 3rd field was left unplanted to restore nutrients.

6. Why was the three-field system beneficial?

   • It improved soil fertility and increased food production.

II. Trade Revives

7. What caused trade routes to expand?

   • More people started traveling through mountains to trade.

8. What were trade fairs?

   • Large annual gatherings where merchants traded goods like farm products, animals, swords, sugar, and silks.

9. What was a charter?

   • A written document that outlined the rights and privileges of a town.

III. Commercial Revolution

10. What is capital?

• Money for investment.

B. New Business Practices

11. What is a partnership?

• A group of merchants pooling their funds to finance large ventures.

12. How did partnerships help businesses?

• They made capital more available and reduced risk for individual merchants.

13. What was the purpose of insurance?

• To protect merchants from financial loss in case shipments were lost or stolen.

14. What was a bill of exchange?

• A system where merchants deposited money in a bank in one city and withdrew it in another, reducing the need to carry gold coins.

C. Social Changes

15. Who were tenant farmers?

• People who paid rent for land or worked as hired farm laborers.

16. By 1000, what new social class emerged?

• The middle class, standing between nobles and peasants.

17. Why did nobles and clergy dislike the middle class?

• They saw merchants and bankers as disruptive to traditional social order.

IV. Role of Guilds

18. What were guilds?

• Associations of merchants and artisans that controlled trade, set prices, and passed laws.

19. What were two main functions of guilds?

• They levied taxes and decided how to use town funds.

B. Becoming a Guild Member

20. What was an apprentice?

• A young trainee (starting at age 7) who trained for 7 years to learn a trade.

21. What was a journeyman?

• A salaried worker in a guild.

C. Women & Guilds

22. Did women participate in guilds?

• Yes, women could be guild members and apprentices.

23. Which industries had a high number of women workers?

• Silk and wool guilds, especially in Paris.

24. What were some trades where women worked as apprentices?

• Ribbon making, paper making, and surgery