HISTORY 2DD3 Lecture 8: research esssay
7 Feb 2016
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Historians have long debated the influence of the economic growth in the high. In this essay i will be discussing the impact that the burgeoning economic systems had on the social hierarchy in 12th and 13th century europe, particularly the relationship between the growing merchant class and the traditional manorial system. In this essay i will argue that the growth of trade and commerce caused the decline of the middle ages by creating an urban merchant class that did not fit into the traditional social hierarchy. This wealthy, educated, urban middle class was outside of manorial system and its independence from feudal lords created the roots for the decline of the middle ages and the start of the renaissance. The growth of commerce and trade in the middle ages created a merchant and artisan class. Larger population in the north created a demand for manufactured goods which in turn created a demand for more raw materials.
