Renewal and Vitality

950-1250

Viking Longboats

Lindisfarne Monastery, 793

• Eventually these marauding raiders ended their pillaging & settled down in many areas of Europe including Normandy, Sicily, Sardinia, southern Italy and Kiev (Russia) and merged with the people.

• As the dust settled on the chaos and disorder, Europe slowly began to emerge with a new spirit.

Feudalism and Manorialism

An Agricultural Revolution

• Lords of the manors promoted expansion of cultivated land

• Higher agricultural production reduced the number of deaths caused by starvation and dietary disease…

• Grain surplus meant that some livestock could survive the winter increasing fresh meat, milk and manure…

• Population increased

Benefits for the common man

• Peasants drained swamps, cleared forests and established new settlements

• Expansion contributed to the decline of serfdom- lords promised freedom from personal services in return for rent-in France in 1050-90% were serfs; by 1350 only 10% remained as serfs

• Surplus food and increased population freed people to work at non-farming occupations, making the expansion of trade possible.

Cottage industries – “the putting out” system

• Early entrepreneurs: the humble peddler

Revival of trade

• End of Viking attacks

• Expanding agricultural production

• Increasing population

• Greater political stability

The Crusades (1096-1291)

The Crusades (1096 – 1291)

• 1095 Pope Urban II called for “a Holy War against the Infidels…” at the Council of Clermont

Europe’s response:• Religious persons who

believed “God Wills It”• Christians desired

papal forgiveness• Nobles expected to

gain new lands• Merchants saw a

chance to make profits• Serfs sought to escape

feudal oppression • Adventurers who

welcomed travel and excitement

The Crusaders States

• The 1st Crusade led by Godfrey of Bouillon

After 200 years, …the Crusaders failed to take control of the Holy land but the

impact on Europe was life-changing:

• Broadened the European outlook

• Stimulated trade

• Strengthened the power of kings and weakened the nobility

• Weakened Serfdom

• Encouraged learning

A commercial revolution begins…

• Cities like Venice, Genoa and Pisa grew prosperous during the Crusades and after as increasing trade with Byzantine and Islamic worlds -silks, sugar, spices and dyes increased tremendously.

• Traveling International Fairs – Champagne• Large-scale enterprises on the Atlantic Ocean-

shared costs, reduced risks led to more profit-making opportunities

• Advances in business techniques- banking houses; credit; accounting books

• Trade Fairs attracted buyers and sellers, merchants from distant places exchanged news, Entertainers and ordinary people

Rebirth of towns:

• Towns were a revolutionary force-• The townsman was a new man-

The birth of the University system:

The End