MMW 13 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: William Dewitt Jr., Liberal Arts Education, Clerks Ii
Key Focus of lecture:
Changing social landscape in late medieval Europe
1)
Trace the intellectual development of this period—from universities to the
Medieval Synthesis (Scholasticism)
2)
Economic and Social Shifts in Late Medieval Europe (14th-15th centuries)
Economic Landscape Prior to the 12th Century
Feudal life pervasive—very few towns
Most people lived in feudal manors, usually as serfs
(1)
Only few towns as cities and the ones that existed followed the
flow of the countryside
(2)
Feudal life was precarious
(3)
Not much to speak of in terms of surplus
(4)
i)
Feudal life precarious for peasants
Technology was limited
(1)
Improved with the development of the plow
(2)
ii)
a)
Rise of Towns and Guilds (13th and 14th centuries)
“Town air brings more freedom”
Greater shift towards urban expansion
(1)
Towns provided more social and economic rights to the
people--> freedom
(2)
i)
Gradual demographic shift from country-side to cities and towns
Gave the towns more political voice, more economic leverage
(1)
ii)
b)
Rise of National Principalities
Over time, German ruling families turned to towns and cities for
support
Would turn more and more to the cities for support because of
the economic leverage of the cities
(1)
The cities and towns could hold their own in terms of establish
their influence
(2)
"Alliance" as they shift more to the towns--> breaking away
(3)
i)
c)
I)
Lecture 18:
The Revival of Europe and the Advent of the
University
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
9:59 AM
Document Summary
The revival of europe and the advent of the. Trace the intellectual development of this period from universities to the. Economic and social shifts in late medieval europe (14th-15th centuries) a) Economic landscape prior to the 12th century i) ii) Most people lived in feudal manors, usually as serfs. Only few towns as cities and the ones that existed followed the flow of the countryside. Not much to speak of in terms of surplus (3) (4) Improved with the development of the plow b) Rise of towns and guilds (13th and 14th centuries) i) Towns provided more social and economic rights to the people--> freedom ii) Gradual demographic shift from country-side to cities and towns (1) Gave the towns more political voice, more economic leverage c) Over time, german ruling families turned to towns and cities for support (1) Would turn more and more to the cities for support because of the economic leverage of the cities.
