What led to Europe’s economic growth and reurbanization?
LübeckThe dominant city in the Hanseatic League, Lübeck is portrayed in this woodcut as densely packed within its walls, with church steeples and the city hall dominating the skyline, and boats carrying goods and people moving swiftly along the river. Even in this stylized scene, the artist captures the key features of the “Queen of the Hansa”: crowded, proud, and centered on commerce. (Private Collection/The Stapleton Collection/The Bridgeman Art Library)
MMOST PEOPLE CONTINUED TO LIVE IN VILLAGES in the High Middle Ages, but the rise of towns and the growth of a new business and commercial class were central parts of Europe’s recovery after the disorders of the tenth century. As towns gained legal and political rights, merchant and craft guilds grew more powerful, and towns became centers of production as well as commerce (Map 10.1).
MAP 10.1 European Population Density, ca. 1300The development of towns and the reinvigoration of trade were directly related in medieval Europe. Using this map, Maps 10.2 and 10.3, and the information in this chapter, answer the following questions.> MAPPING THE PASTANALYZING THE MAP: What were the four largest cities in Europe? What part of Europe had the highest density of towns?
CONNECTIONS: What role did textile and other sorts of manufacturing play in the growth of towns? How was the development of towns related to that of universities, monastery schools, and cathedral schools?
CONNECTIONS: What role did textile and other sorts of manufacturing play in the growth of towns? How was the development of towns related to that of universities, monastery schools, and cathedral schools?