Your Guide to Trade in the Middle Ages

Your Guide to Trade in the Middle Ages book cover — DESTINATION Midale Ages Your Guide to Trade in the Middle Ages James Bow Le Crabtree Publishing Company www crabtree books com

Your Guide to Trade in the Middle Ages — page 1 — Before We Start Did you know The early Middle Ages in Europe was a period of very little trade learning or artistic achievement and is sometimesThe Middle A referred to as the Dark Ages By around 1000 CEy however conditions began to improve lasted from approximately 500 to 1500 The era is Sometimes divided into two periods the early Middle Ages before the year 1000 and the later Middle Ages after 1000 AFTER THE T FALL OF ROME ON THE LAND Farming and associated trades keep everyone busy Europe at war The Middle Ages describes the 1 000 year period following the end of the Roman Empire in 476 Before that time Rome controlled most of Europe and the Mediterranean Sea Its empire had wealthy cities and people traded widely After the end of the Roman Empire Europe split into warring kingdoms They fought each other more often than they traded with each other Most medieval Europeans worked on the land They farmed or did jobs connected with making tools baking bread butchering animals or making things from wood above Most people were peasants They worked for a lord or knight who let the peasants farm a portion of their land in return for the peasants labor Male peasants also had to serve in their lord's army if called upon to do so DESTINATION MIDDLE AGES

Your Guide to Trade in the Middle Ages — page 2 — HX GROWTH OF TOWNS OCONS r Can feudal society survive Glen Medieval Europe was a feudal society The king owned the land and shared it out among his nobles The nobles in turn shared their land among lesser lords and knights Peasants worked for these lords and knights in return for housing and protection Peasants who had spare crops to sell took them to market in towns Towns grew larger and more people moved there These townspeople were outside the old feudal society They did not depend on a lord for their living EUROPE AND THE WORLD Changes in the East While European trade declined in the Dark Ages new powers were rising in other parts of the world In the 600s a new religion called Islam began in Arabia An Islamic Empire soon spread across the Middle East North Africa and Portugal and Spain Farther east China s empire was conquered by the Mongol leader Genghis Khan left Eventually the Mongol Empire spread Chinese influence across Asia and into Europe COMING OF THE MERCHANTS In the later Middle Ages a new class of people started to appear in Europe's towns and cities They were merchants who bought and sold goods They traveled to other towns or countries to find unusual goods to sell Some became rich Their money gave them political power Towns also attracted craftspeople who made tools clothes or armor They set up guilds to control their trades Seling goods making money YOUR GUIDE TO TRADE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

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