After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in Europe, the era of "dark ages." During this period, almost all cities fell into decay and were empty. The feudal lords preferred to live in their residences. The value of money in the economy has greatly decreased. The monasteries simply exchanged gifts. If iron products were forged in one abbey, and beer was brewed in another, for example, they sent each other part of the product. Peasants also engaged in exchange trade.
But gradually, crafts and trade began to revive, resulting in the formation of medieval cities. Some of them were rebuilt on the site of ancient policies, others arose near monasteries, bridges, port villages, busy roads.
Antique and medieval cities
In the Roman Empire, the development of policies was carried out in accordance with a pre-approved plan. In every major city there was an arena for sports and gladiatorial fights, water supply, sewage. The streets were made flat and wide. The emergence and growth of medieval cities occurred in a different scenario. They were built randomly, without any unified plan.
Interestingly, in the early Middle Ages, many ancient buildings began to be used not for the purposes for which they were originally built. So, spacious ancient Roman baths were often turned into Christian churches. And inside the Coliseum, right in the arena, residential buildings were built.
The role of trade
The revival of cities in Europe began with Italy. Maritime trade with Byzantium and the Arab countries led to the emergence of money capital among merchants from the Apennine Peninsula. Gold began to flock to Italian medieval cities. The development of commodity-money relations has changed the lifestyle of the northern Mediterranean. The subsistence economy, when each feudal inheritance independently provided itself with everything necessary, was replaced by regional specialization.
Craft development
Trade had a key influence on the formation of medieval cities. Urban craft has become a full-fledged way to earn money. Previously, peasants were forced to engage in agriculture and other crafts. Now the opportunity has arisen to professionally manufacture any specialized product, sell its products and buy food with the proceeds.
Craftsmen in the cities united in guilds, called workshops. Such organizations were created with the aim of mutual assistance and the fight against competition. Many types of crafts were allowed to engage only in workshop members. When an enemy army attacked a city, self-defense units were formed from guild members.
Religious factor
The Christian tradition of pilgrimage to religious shrines also influenced the formation of medieval cities. Initially, most of the most revered relics were in Rome. Thousands of pilgrims came to the city to worship them. Of course, only non-poor people could go on a long journey in those days. For them in Rome was opened a lot of hotels, taverns, shops with religious literature.
Bishops of other cities, seeing how much income devout travelers bring to Rome, also sought to acquire some kind of relic. Sacred objects were brought from distant lands or miraculously found on the spot. It could be the nails that crucified Christ, the relics of the apostles, the clothes of Jesus or the Virgin, and other similar artifacts. The more pilgrims managed to attract, the higher the income of the city.
Military factor
The history of the Middle Ages largely consists of wars. The medieval city, among other functions, could be an important strategic object protecting the country's borders from enemy invasion. In this case, its external walls were made especially strong and high. And in the city itself there was a military garrison and a large supply of provisions in the barns in case of a long siege.
During the late Middle Ages, many armies consisted of mercenaries. This practice is especially widespread in wealthy Italy. The inhabitants of the cities there did not want to put themselves at risk on the battlefields and preferred to maintain a hired army. Many Swiss and Germans served in it.
Universities
Educational institutions also contributed to the formation of medieval cities. The history of European universities begins in the 11th century. And the Italians also have primacy here. In 1088, the oldest university in Europe was founded in Bologna. He continues to educate students today.
Universities later appeared in France, in England, and then in other countries. They taught theological and secular disciplines. Universities existed with private money, and therefore had a sufficient degree of independence from the authorities. Some European countries still have laws prohibiting police from entering higher education institutions.
Townspeople
So, there were several classes, thanks to which the emergence and development of medieval cities in Europe took place.
1. Merchants: transported various goods by sea and by land.
2. The estate of artisans: craftsmen who manufactured industrial products were the foundation of the urban economy.
3. Clergy: churches and monasteries were engaged not only in the administration of religious rituals, but also in scientific and economic activities, and also participated in political life.
4. Soldiers: the troops not only participated in campaigns and defense operations, but also maintained order within the city. The rulers involved them in the capture of thieves and robbers.
5. Professors and students: universities have had a significant impact on the formation of medieval cities.
6. The class of the aristocracy: the palaces of kings, dukes and other noble persons were also located in cities.
7. Other educated bourgeoisie: healers, clerks, bankers, surveyors, judges, etc.
8. The urban poor: servants, beggars, thieves.
The struggle for self-government
The lands on which the cities arose originally belonged to local feudal lords or church abbeys. They taxed the townspeople with taxes, the amount of which was established arbitrarily and was often too large. In response to harassment by landowners, a communal movement of medieval cities arose. Artisans, merchants and other residents united to jointly resist the feudal lords.
The main requirements of city communes were feasible taxes and non-interference of the landowner in the economic and economic activities of residents. Typically, negotiations ended with the drafting of the Charter, which spelled out the rights and obligations of all classes. The signing of such documents completed the formation of medieval cities, providing the legal foundation for their existence.
Democratic governance
After the right to self-government was won from the feudal lords, it was time to determine on what principles the medieval city itself would be built. The craft organization of the craft and the guilds of merchants were the institutions from which the system of collegial decision-making and the election of power grew.
Mayors and judges in medieval cities were elected. Moreover, the election procedure itself was often quite complex and multi-stage. For example, in Venice, the Doge’s elections were held in 11 stages. Suffrage was not universal. Almost everywhere there was a property and estate qualification, that is, only rich or noble citizens could participate in the elections.
When the formation of medieval cities was finally completed, a system developed in which all the control levers were in the hands of a limited number of aristocratic families. The poor were unhappy with this state of affairs. Social tension sometimes spilled over into mob revolts. As a result, the urban aristocracy had to make concessions and expand the rights of the poor.
Historical meaning
The active development of cities began in Europe in the X-XI centuries in central and northern Italy, as well as in Flanders (the territory of modern Belgium and Holland). The driving forces of this process were trade and craft production. A little later, the heyday of cities began in France, Spain and the German lands of the Holy Roman Empire. As a result, the continent was transformed.
It is difficult to overestimate the influence that the formation of medieval cities had on the development of Europe. Urban craft contributed to technological progress. Trade led to the improvement of shipbuilding, and ultimately to the discovery and development of the New World. The traditions of urban self-government have become the basis of the democratic structure of modern Western countries. The charters and charters of liberties defining the rights and freedoms of various classes formed the system of European law. And the development in the cities of science and art prepared the coming of the Renaissance.