The Return of Urban Life in Medieval Europe
The Return of Urban Life
At the end of 11th century, the number of wars and invasions decreased sharply.
- This period of peace allowed for technical innovations in agriculture:
- New cultivation methods, such as triennial rotation.
- New farming tools, such as ploughs, watermills and windmills.
Medieval Cities
- From the 11th century, new population centres began to appear.
- They grew near abbeys, castles and existing villages. These centres were a focus for trade.
- These new urban centres were called burghs, and their inhabitants were called burghers.
- The position of burghs was important.
Urban Activities: Artisan Workshops and Trade
- Medieval cities became production centres of artisanal products.
- Artisans that made the same product lived on the same street, which was named after them.
- Artisans who made the same products formed guilds, which were made up of apprentices, artisans and masters.
- The guilds ensured that all artisans respected the same rules concerning working hours, tools, quality and price.
Urban Society
The growth of cities transformed feudal society.
- Kings, nobles and clergy conceded more personal freedom and rights to their subjects.
- As a result, a new social class was formed: the bourgeoisie.
- The high bourgeoisie were important traders and bankers.
- The petty bourgeoisie were master artisans and small scale traders.
- Cities were governed by magistrates, who worked under the mayor in the areas of finance, order and justice.
- Over time, this resulted in cities being governed by the richest families, who made up a privileged group called the urban patricians.
- During the 12th century, the bourgeoisie and the nobles began to develop an appreciation for knowledge.
Crisis in the Late Middle Ages
Some kings provide royal charters to the bourgeoisie, freeing them from the control of feudal lords.
At the beginning of the 14th century, there was a serious agricultural crisis. The crisis was due to a series of bad harvests over a number of years, and poor quality land.
As the crisis extended across Europe, numerous revolts broke out in cities and in the countryside.
The Kingdom of Asturias
During the Muslim conquest, some Christian Visigoth nobles took refuge in the Cordillera Cantábrica.
- Among them was Pelayo, who defeated the Muslims in 722 at Convagonda (Asturias). This began the Reconquista.
- His successors, Alfonso I and Alfonso II, created the Kingdom of Asturias.
The Kingdom of León
In the 9th century, Alfonso III took control of Muslim territories from the River Duero to the Kingdom of Asturias. It was renamed the Kingdom of León in 854.
The Kingdom of Castile
In the 10th century, Castile was governed by counts under the control of the king of León.
The Kingdom of Pamplona
The kingdom of Pamplona experienced its greatest expansion under the rule of Sancho III.
The Kingdom of Aragón
In the 9th century, some Aragónese counties in the Hispanic Marches freed themselves from Frankish rule.
Expansion in the 11th and 12th centuries
The Christian kingdoms took advantage of the disintegration of the Caliphate of Córdoba into taifas to conquer more of the Peninsula.
The first king of Castile, Ferdinand I, gained control of the kingdom of Leon, conquered Coimbra and resettled the southern Duero Valley.
His son, Alfonso VI, occupied Toledo and conquered land beyond the Tajo.
The Crown of Aragón
The economy of the Crown of Aragón was based on agriculture and livestock farming.
From the 13th century, the Crown of Aragón became an important centre of trade in the Mediterranean, and ports were established in Barcelona, Palma and Valencia.
La gran expansión de los reinos peninsulares en el siglo XIII
Los musulmanes fueron finalmente derrotados en la batalla de Las Navas de Tolosa en 1212.
Después de su victoria, los reinos cristianos avanzaron a través del sur de la Península en el siglo XIII.
Fernando III de Castilla conquistó el valle del Guadalquivir, y su hijo, Alfonso X, conquistó Cádiz y Murcia.
Jaime I, rey de la Corona de Aragón, conquistó Valencia, Murcia y las Baleares.
The Crown of Castile
The majority of the inhabitants of Castile cultivated cereals and produced wine and oil for export.
The Cortes advised the king and sometimes approved laws, but could not legislate.
MOZÁRABES: eran los cristianos que vivían bajo el dominio musulmán en la Península Ibérica.