The Rise of Cities

1. The Rise of Cities

2. The Church in the Middle Ages • Roman Catholic Church was most powerful • In Middle Ages the most powerful religion was just called “the Church” • Clergy were very important • Marriages, funerals, blessed sick, confessions • Church took on many jobs of government • Made laws, set up courts to enforce laws, collected taxes, farmed which helped economy

3. The Church in the Middle Ages, cont. • Church officials advised kings • Limited war among feudal lords • Threat of being excommunicated kept lords in line

4. Towns Grow • Population grew • Hard for lords to provide for peasants • Many peasants bought freedom • Lives of peasants who moved to towns improved – allowed some to become part of merchant class (included merchants, traders, and craftspeople) • Towns grew along trade routes

5. Life in Towns and Cities • Guilds formed • Set wages and standards for quality of goods • Members paid dues • Dues were used to help needy members • Craft workers • Apprentice (about 7 years) • Journeyman (traveled from town to town) • Join guild (after exam)

6. Overcrowding and Disease • Cities often had walls limiting space and causing crowding • Crowding and no indoor plumbing • Sickness spread quickly • Black Death (Bubonic Plague) • Spread by fleas on rats • 1/3 of population died

7. Medieval Culture and Learning • Cities attracted scholars • Universities developed • Students studied • Grammar, reasoning, and mathematics • Some went on to higher studies • Philosophy, law, or medicine • Chivalry – knights were supposed to be brave, loyal, and heroic