J J J

AMedievalfu
500 ó00 700

MONEY MAKES MONEY

In the Middle Ages, towns in Europe were
noisy and crowded by dayo but quiet and
European merchants usually carried
silver coins, butArabs preferred gold.
As international trade increased, ltalian
merchants set up the first banks, using
written bills of exchange to pay for

dark at night, the silence broken only by cat goods instead of having to carry bags
of heavy metal coins.

--;%§' and dog fights, late-night revellers and

watchmen calling out the hours. Churches,
guilds, fairs and markets all drew people into the towns.
If you walked through a medieval town, you took care where
you stepped, because most people threw out their rubbish into
the muddy streets. Open drains ran alongside and smelled aw{ul.
To fetch water, people went to the town well or bought it from the
water-seller, hoping it was clean. Pigs and chickens wandered in
and out of small yards. Houses were built close together, with the
top floors often jutting out over the street. Since most houses
were made chiefly of wood, they caught fire easily. At night, the
curfew bell warned people to cover or put out their kitchen fires.
Many houses were also shops and workplaces. Traders and V Marhet day in a medieual
craftworkers formed groups called guilds to organize their town. PeoPle ln,otlght in fann,
Produce fu .scll, u,isited stctlls anrl
businesses and to set standards of work. Guilds also staged .shofls to sPend tlteir mone\,
pageants, dramas and religious processions, and set up training gos.siPed, zuith their Jiienr]s a,nd,
schools. some towns were famous for their fairs and attracted drrntk at thc clle hou.se. Strrllling
m.usicittns, at:rollats, or a danring
foreign merchants from all over Europe, as well as entertainers bear amuserL the urnlc]s. Beggats
such as jugglers, clowns, acrobats, minstrels, performing monkeys and Pickpockets clirl utell too.

Juggler Merchants

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,
.., ll, irl] tlc;lt-:. Fairs alscl ' A MEDIEVAL Towry j
- 1 ll l.i,_ k drlciot-s lttlcl
1136 Fire destrovs many old,
, ,., l ]r_l ll -, ,cllel]t - ,'.

_ _ __.
-.
.)..a]i: |fui}} thc *,*-.Lorrcl9n.' _ *-ijf
l 162 \A'or| heqirrs on the
]..l]tf \ Side.
: catl-recllal ,rf N.rt." Dame in 'l
In towns, work \vas to be ', Paris, lhich bt, 1210 is a i
forrnd btiildins magnificent trnilit,d t,in rtilh pared
.
l

}= street§, waÍis ancl 24 g"*"."**i

cathedrals and churches, as i' 1200s Mant,nelv to\vr]s are :

well as castles arrd defensive l'otrrlrlcd irr Etrrope; city-

,. states irr Italv ancl (lermanv i;
walls. Large trading cities in
der elop.
Europe, such as Hambttrg, *"-rZOg New Lorrdon Bridge buitt
Antwerp and Lonclor}, grew ] 1260 The Hanseatic Leagrre is ]:;
í'orlnetl. lit,rt br llte (]crman l
rich from buying and sellins
ltltl tts ol'Lrrheck arrtl
wool and other soods carried '. Hambrrrp. :
across the sea in small wooden l285 Enuli:lr ntercltan(s arc
j*i'i d
banned frrlm selling their .,
sailirrs ships. About 90 cities in :_1

t,hrrrchlards.
gor rds itt
northern Europe fbrmed the 1300 The rvool trade is at its i
Hanseatic League to fight pe:rk in F.rttlarrdl l:rrge
chulchcs lrre l_rrLilt in
pirates, win rnore trade and
]

keep rlut rivals. 1344 I'ilst krrolvn use of the .l-il.

nante Hanseatic l,eague. ,

, 1348-1349 I'eople ílee towt,ts ,]

D This medieual Painting Entertainers
shows French tradesmen at l377 1.orlrl, lrr lrr ttott has ar least
zuork in lheir town shoPs. 50 srrilds and a population q-
Tclilor,s a,re stiLr:hing ichl1 of urclre tharr 35,000.
'.:.1400s i
t:oloured,tloth (leJt), zuhil^e rt Moralitl,plays, irr which '
g,ocel sets out his wrl,res Qight). actor\ \la{e tltlcs rrf good
In the bar*grounrJ cl ba,rber against evil, are per{'clrmed. ;
:

shaues a cuslomer clnd, a, furtier irr churches or on operr carts:.

lay.s out animal Pelts. : in the strcet. ,,*{
l400s-l 500s Ret tais,at Ice
arr'hitecls l,cgitt to rchuild
cities such as Fklrerlce in j
Italy,

A Stained-glass zuindows ''

told stories in Pictures, . l

PeoPti ulho coul(t*4
b*fn church,
': nor read, loilkeá at the colourfut:{
I ilfustrations ol Bibk storie.s in 1;

the church windrrus to learn j

. more about the Christian
faitk. ;

93