After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the era of "dark ages" began in Europe. During this period, almost all cities fell into decay and became empty. The feudal lords preferred to live in their residences. The importance of money in the economy has greatly diminished. Monasteries simply exchanged gifts. If iron products were forged in one abbey, and beer was brewed in another, for example, they sent part of the production to each other. The peasants also engaged in barter.
But gradually crafts and trade began to revive, resulting in the formation of medieval cities. Some of them were built on the site of ancient city-states, others were built near monasteries, bridges, port villages, and busy roads.
Antique and medieval cities
In the Roman Empire, building policies was carried out in accordance with a pre-approved plan. In every major city there was an arena for sports and gladiator fights, water supply, and sewerage. The streets were made smooth and wide. Rise and growth of medieval citieshappened in a different scenario. They built up randomly, without any single plan.
It is interesting that during the early Middle Ages, many ancient buildings began to be used for completely different purposes for which they were originally built. So, spacious ancient Roman baths were often turned into Christian churches. And inside the Colosseum, right in the arena, they built residential buildings.
Role of trade
The renaissance of cities in Europe began with Italy. Maritime trade with Byzantium and the Arab countries led to the emergence of money capital from merchants from the Apennine Peninsula. Gold began to flow into the Italian medieval cities. The development of commodity-money relations changed the way of life in the northern Mediterranean. Subsistence farming, when each feudal inheritance independently provided itself with everything necessary, was replaced by regional specialization.
Development of crafts
Trade was a key influence in the formation of medieval cities. Urban craft has become a full-fledged way of earning. Previously, the peasants were forced to engage in agriculture and other crafts. Now there is an opportunity to professionally engage in the manufacture of any specialized product, sell their products and buy food products with the proceeds.
Craftsmen in the cities united in guilds called workshops. These organizations were created for the purpose of mutual aid andfight against competition. Many types of crafts were allowed to be practiced only by members of the workshops. 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. At first, most of the especially revered relics were located in Rome. Thousands of pilgrims came to the city to bow to them. Of course, only non-poor people could go on a long journey in those days. Many hotels, taverns, shops with religious literature were opened for them in Rome.
Bishops of other cities, seeing what kind of income pious 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. These could be the nails with which Christ was crucified, the relics of the apostles, the clothes of Jesus or the Virgin and other similar artifacts. The more pilgrims they 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 outer 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 was particularly widespread in we althy Italy. The inhabitants of the cities there did not want to put themselves at risk on the battlefields and preferred to maintain a mercenary 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 championship here is also with the Italians. In 1088, the oldest university in Europe was founded in the city of Bologna. He continues to teach students today.
Later, universities appeared in France, in England, and then in other countries. They taught theological and secular disciplines. Universities existed on private money, and therefore had a sufficient degree of independence from the authorities. Some countries in Europe still have laws preventing police from entering higher education institutions.
Citizens
So, there were several estates, 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. Artisan class: craftsmen who made industrial products were the foundation of the city's economy.
3. Clergy: churches and monasteries were engaged not only in the administration of religious rituals, but also in scientific and economic activities, as well asparticipated 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 had a significant impact on the formation of medieval cities.
6. Aristocratic class: The palaces of kings, dukes, and other nobles were also located in cities.
7. Other educated philistines: doctors, clerks, bankers, surveyors, judges, etc.
8. Urban poor: servants, beggars, thieves.
Struggle for Self-Government
The lands on which cities arose originally belonged to local feudal lords or church abbeys. They imposed taxes on the townspeople, the amount of which was set arbitrarily and often was too high. In response to oppression by the landowners, the communal movement of medieval cities arose. Artisans, merchants and other residents united to jointly resist the feudal lords.
The main requirements of urban communes were feasible taxes and non-interference of the landowner in the economic activities of the inhabitants. Usually the negotiations ended with the drafting of the Charter, which spelled out the rights and obligations of all estates. The signing of such documents completed the formation of medieval cities, providing a legal foundation for their existence.
Democratic governance
After the right to self-government was wrested fromfeudal lords, the time has come to determine on what principles the medieval city itself will be built. The guild organization of crafts and the guilds of merchants were the institutions from which the system of collegial decision-making and elective power grew.
Positions of mayors and judges in medieval cities were elective. At the same time, the election procedure itself was often quite complex and multi-staged. For example, in Venice, the election of the doge took place in 11 stages. Suffrage was not universal. Almost everywhere there was a property and estate qualification, that is, only rich or well-born citizens could participate in the elections.
When the formation of medieval cities was finally completed, there was a system in which all the levers of control were in the hands of a limited number of aristocratic families. The poor strata of the population were unhappy with this state of affairs. Social tension sometimes resulted in mob uprisings. As a result, the urban aristocracy had to make concessions and expand the rights of the poor.
Historical value
Active urban development 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 handicraft production. A little later, the flourishing of cities began in France, Spain and the German lands of the Holy Roman Empire. As a result, the continent has been transformed.
It is difficult to overestimate the impact that has had ondevelopment of Europe the formation of medieval cities. 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 statutes and magistrates, which determined the rights and freedoms of various estates, formed the system of European law. And the development of science and art in the cities prepared the advent of the Renaissance.
