Life in Cities Notes URBAN LIFE

Life in Cities

Nobility: Landowners and rulers.
Clergy
Bourgeoisie: Professionals, merchants, and artisans; a kind of middle class.
Urban working poor: Laborers and crafts workers.
Peasants

Impact on city life regarding growth, economy, society, public health, sanitation, culture, and entertainment.

Timeline: 1346 to 1353 with recurring outbreaks into the early 19th century.
Spread: Via trade routes, likely originating in Central Asia.
Bacteria: Yersinia pestis, spread via bites of fleas carried on rodents, specifically rats.
Symptoms: Swollen lymph nodes (buboes), fever, and sometimes blackened skin.
Mortality: Killed 25 to 50 million people, approximately 30% to 60% of the population.
Geographic Impact: Affected nearly all European countries, parts of North Africa, and the Middle East.

Lack of Cure: No specific cure existed at the time.
Medical Knowledge: Theory of the humors (yellow bile, black bile, phlegm, and blood).
- Illnesses were believed to result from an imbalance in these humors.
- Remedies included bloodletting, poultices, burning incense, etc.
Isolation (Quarantine): Local ‘burn out’ to contain the spread.
Changes in Rat Populations: Potentially contributed to the decline of the plague.

Timeline: Approximately 1337-1453, totaling 116 years.
Cause: French King Charles IV died in 1328 without a male heir.
Claimants: Edward III of England, as Charles IV's nephew, claimed the throne.
- The French nobility chose Philip VI instead.
Key Battles: Battle of Agincourt (1415).
Joan of Arc: Played a role in the Siege of Orléans (1429).
- Captured and put to death by the English, burned at the stake in 1431 for heresy.

Causes:
- Black Death and 100 Years War.
- Increased number of merchants, artisans, and laborers in cities attracted more people.
- Improved agricultural practices and reduced mortality rates.
- People seeking economic opportunities and a better quality of life (peasants’ revolts).
- Mercantilism as a significant economic force.
- All factors leading to the decline of feudalism.

London: Major trading, banking, and political center with a population of 350,000.
Paris: Capital of France with a population of 400,000.
Venice: Major commercial center with significant growth, population 150,000.
Rome: Population 130,000; suffered decline with numerous plague outbreaks.
Antwerp: Major port city, center of trade and commerce, population 100,000.
Florence: Major center of art and culture, population 70,000. Associated with Leonardo DaVinci (1519^{\dagger}), Michelangelo (1564^{\dagger}), and Galileo (1642^{\dagger}).
Cities as Centers: Commerce, culture, and political power.

Mercantilism Emphasized:
- Importance of a favorable balance of trade.
- Encouraging domestic industries.
- Expansion.
- Protecting from foreign competition.
- Accumulating gold and silver.
Trade:
- Domestic / International: Merchants traded goods such as textiles, spices, precious metals, and manufactured products.
- Exploration & trade: Coastal cities like Venice, Genoa, Liverpool, Bristol, etc.
- Trade Fairs: Regular trade fairs, e.g., Frankfurt book fair (1462).
Manufacturing:
- Craftsmanship: Artisans sold their goods, including textiles, metalwork, ceramics, and furniture.
Salary:
- Most people’s income was goods and/or possibly gold & silver.

Growth of Banks: Growth of cities and increased exploration led to the greater prominence of banks.
Early Merchant Banks: Florence and Venice in the 13th-14th centuries offered loans and deposits.
Central Banks: Rise of nation-states and international trade led to the development of central banks in the 16th-17th centuries. Example: the Bank of England (founded 1694) which also began using bank notes.
Services:
- Lending services to merchants and businesses.
- Investment: Wealthy individuals and institutions invested in various economic ventures like shipping, manufacturing, and land development.

Definition: Guilds were similar to labor unions today.
Similarities to Unions: Organization of workers, negotiated with employers, and regulation of the industry, setting standards for quality, etc.
Common Among: Craftsmen (e.g., blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, and shoemakers) and merchants who traded goods.
Differences: Closely tied to religious identification and played a role in religious ceremonies.
Examples: Painters, sculptors, musicians, lawyers, and doctors.
Origins: Guilds began ~11th and 12th centuries.
Growth: Grew as cities and towns grew.

Dense Population: Cities experienced rapid population growth, leading to overcrowding and cramped living conditions.
Lack of Sanitation:
- Cesspits: Underground pits near homes and businesses.
- Open Sewers: Ran along streets, carrying wastewater and human waste into rivers and waterways.
- Bucket Toilets: Bucket placed under a hole in the floor.

Arts Thrived in Renaissance: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.
Plays, etc: William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes, Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Music: Josquin des Prez (1515^{\dagger}) and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
- Opera – Florence late 1500s [Claudio Monteverdi (1643^{\dagger})].
- 1600s in England, France, Germany, etc.
- Attended by middle class as well as nobility.
Theater:
- Globe theater (England): 1599-1613 (fire) [Shakespeare, 1616^{\dagger}].
- Corral de la Pacheca (Spain): 1565-1579 (fire).
- Teatro Olimpico (Venice): 1580-present.
Sports / Games: Jousting, archery, football, tennis, fencing, dancing.
Prostitution: Amsterdam, south Germany, north Italy, south France.

Expulsions: Jewish people expelled from various countries.
- Key Dates:
  - 1290: England
  - 1306: France
  - 1348: Cities in the Holy Roman Empire (Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, portions of Italy and Swiss territories, etc.)
  - 1394: France
  - 1492: Spain
Interest in Hebrew Bible
Acceptance in Eastern Europe: Found more acceptance in eastern Europe (Poland, etc.).

DRC: Look over each Monday, Wednesday lecture and Friday section. For the exam, answer 2 questions.
Sample Question: Discuss the problems the Renaissance presented to Early Modern Europe.
Answer: The character of your answers:
- Clarity (clearly written) and coherence
- Critical thought
- Originality and insight