MEDIEVAL TRADEThe Medieval navigators imported spices, groceries, linen, Egyptian paper, pearls, perfumes, and a thousand other rare and choice articles. In exchange they offered chiefly the precious metals in bars rather than coined, and it is probable that at this period they also exported iron, wines, oil, and wax.

Improvements to the Middle Ages trade and commerce were made by improving the roads and security. Security was an important issue and one of the reasons for the emergence of guilds.

Trade places in France

Champagne fair. Count of Champagne made it easier for merchants to come because the roads were guarded and he provided them with warehouses. Spices and cloth were

mainly sold.There were also fairs in Languedoc, in Lyon.

Poland The most important cities which were the

centres of international trade: Kraków, Gdańsk, Wrocław, Kamieniec Podolski, Toruń, Lublin,

Lwów, Warszawa, Poznań.

In many Polish towns, special markets (once a week) and fair (two-five times a year) were organised. In XIII

century, there were fairs in Gadańsk and Wrocław.

On the fairs many goods (cereal, furs, oxen, wood's products, linen) were bought and transported to

Western Europe using water and land routes. From Western Europe it was taken goods like cloth, metal stuff,

roots, wine, luxurious goods.

Trade in Norway

Bergen

Bergen as trading center •The 13th century is described as Norway’s Golden Age, with

peace and increase in trade, especially with the British islands and later Germany.

•Bergen became the main trading port.•It was controlled by the Hanseatic league.•From the end of the 13th century Bergen became a bureau city

(kontor) of the Hanseatic league.•Bryggen was the site for one of the principal bureau cities of

the League. •For several centuries Bergen had exclusive rights to mediate

trade between Northern Norway and abroad.•Trondheim grew also as a trading centre.

Fish main export product•Stockfish was the main trading product.•It was exported to central and Southern Europe.•The trade along the Norwegian coast was based on

exchange between fish and imported flour .

Influence from Hansa trade on local society

•The Hanseatic league had representatives in Northern Norway who supplied the population with food and raw materials, in exhange they fished for the Hanseatic league.

•Many new small fishing communities were established even in the northernmost part of Norway.

•The situation for the people in the North was largely controlled by the Hanseatic league, and the people had to pay taxes of what they fished to the government.

Hanseatic trade routes

Florence became the banking centre of EuropeAs the trade flourished in Europe so did the banks. Banking had begun in Italy

with the moneylenders who did business on benches or banks. They grew rich on the interest they charged for their services. The cities of Florence, Venice, Siena and Genoa became particularly wealthy.

ITALY

Genoa

Early in 1252 Genoa introduced the first regular gold coinage in the west.By then Genoa dominated trade in the Greek lands, Egypt, Sicily and southern Italy.

By the 1270s regular galley service from Genoa to Bruges began to open up markets in England, northern France, and the Low Countries.

The civil wars of the early fourteenth century devastated Genoa’s trade

Made by:

- Alicja Pazder- Juni Nordeide Carlsen- Rémi Reveillard