Medieval Cities: Rise, Economy, and Social Unrest
Cities: New Economic Centers
Agricultural improvements stimulated the revitalization and creation of cities. Farmers with surplus food production migrated to urban areas, seeking greater freedom and opportunities.
Medieval City Revival
The renaissance of cities began in the 11th century, with relative peace fostering trade around abbeys, castles, and towns. These new centers became thriving cities, or bourgs, inhabited by the bourgeoisie. Their importance grew if located at crossroads, rivers, or ports.
City Structure and Life
Medieval cities were protected by expanding walls. Inside, space was tight and unplanned. Most towns lacked sewage, leading to poor hygiene and the spread of diseases like cholera and typhus. Fires were common due to wooden buildings.
Crafts and Guilds
Cities became production centers. Artisans of the same craft clustered together, forming streets named after their trades (e.g., silversmiths, weavers). Workshops, owned by master craftsmen, served as both production spaces and homes. Artisans organized into guilds to protect themselves from competition and ensure quality. Guilds had a hierarchical structure: apprentices, journeymen, and master craftsmen. They controlled working hours, materials, tools, product quality, and prices.
Fairs and Markets
Urban markets facilitated trade between farmers and artisans. Some cities hosted large-scale periodic fairs for buying and selling significant quantities of goods. The Black Death in 1347 severely impacted Europe’s population, causing widespread mortality.
Social Unrest: Peasant and Urban Revolts
Population decline led to labor shortages and abandoned farmlands. Lords increased taxes and tightened living conditions, sparking peasant revolts across Europe. Cities also faced crises, with high mortality rates, food shortages, and economic decline. The disadvantaged demanded improvements, leading to urban riots, often accompanied by attacks on Jewish neighborhoods. These revolts were forcefully suppressed.
Gothic Architecture and Art
From the 12th century, new construction techniques led to the Gothic style, originating in France and spreading across Europe. Economic growth and population increase necessitated new buildings: palaces for nobles and merchants, city council halls, and wholesale markets. Most notably, grand cathedrals were built as symbols of economic power and faith. Gothic art primarily focused on religious themes. The large windows of Gothic churches diminished wall space for Romanesque painting, leading to the rise of altarpieces and miniatures on wooden panels, often commissioned by nobles, bourgeois, or institutions. Donor figures were frequently included in the paintings.