HST 121 - Expansion: Population, Towns and Trade

I. Europe in the late Empire and early Middle Ages
        A. third-century crisis
        B. reforms of Diocletian and Constantine
        C. recurrent plagues
        D. invasions: Germanic tribes, then Vikings, Magyars and Muslims

II. Ninth and tenth-century invasions [MAP]
        A. Muslims
                1. Muslim pirates raided throughout the Mediterranean
                2. they were difficult to defend against because
                        European kingdoms had no naval defenses
        B. Magyars (Hungarians)
                1. nomadic horsemen from western Asia
                2. they roamed the countryside, attacking defenseless
                        settlements
                3. they were defeated by Otto the Great at the Battle of
                        Lechfeld in 955
        C. Vikings [MAP]
                1. the Danes attacked France, Germany and England
                2. the Norwegians attacked Scotland, Ireland and other
                        North Atlantic islands
                3. the Swedes attacked Russia and the Byzantine Empire
                4. two main reasons that the Vikings left their homelands
                        a. overpopulation; not enough land
                        b. ship improvements; very fast ships that could
                                carry large numbers of warriors
                5. they also settled in various areas
                        a. they controlled most of England
                        b. they settled in Normandy in France
        D. Europe eventually overcame the invasions
                1. they built better defenses around towns 
                        - Example of new type of defense (stone)
                2. they built castles (e.g., Bamburgh)
                3. they incorporated the invaders into their kingdoms

III. A new Europe [MAP] 
        A. England: unified kingdom, under Alfred the Great
                [Anglo-Saxon England] [Danelaw]
        B. France [9th-century divisions] [Medieval France]
                1. territorial princes had complete control in the localities
                2. one of these princes (Hugh Capet) challenged the Carolingian
                        king for power and became the first Capetian king (987)
                3. but he had no real power because it was in the hands of
                        the local princes
        C. Germany 
                1. power devolved to independent dukes, but a very 
                        powerful leader eventually emerged
                2. the last Carolingian king in East Francia died in 911
                3. the duke of Franconia became the next king, and he
                        was followed by the duke of Saxony in 917
                4. the Saxon king Otto the Great (936-973) halted the 
                        devolution of power
                5. Otto defeated the Magyars, conquered part of the 
                        Carolingian Middle kingdom and conquered Italy
                6. and in 962 he became the Holy Roman Emperor
        D. Italy
                1. part of the Holy Roman Empire, but a different
                        landscape than in Germany
                2. cities remained powerful entities just as the duchies
                        did in Germany

IV. Population Increase
        A. How much? [DOC 24: Population Estimates]
        B. Why?
                1. Decrease in plagues
                2. End of external threats
                3. Improved climate
                4. Agricultural developments
                        [heavy plow] [horse collar]

V. The Rise of Towns
        A. Size of villages, towns and cities
        B. Why did people move to towns?
                1. overpopulation in the countryside
                2. freedom and legal rights
                        a. personal freedom: the "year and a day" rule
                        b. freedom from tolls: e.g., market tolls
                        c. freedom of association: e.g., guilds
                        d. burgage tenure: money rent only; no services
                        e. self-government
        C. Town administration [DOC 25]
        D. The urban scene
                1. the walled town [image]
                2. street life [image]
                3. pollution

VI. The Revival of Commerce [MAP]
        A. The Mediterranean
                - trade with the east [Mongol Empire ]
        B. The Low Countries 
        C. The Baltic and the North Sea
        D. Fairs [DOC 26] [Count of Champagne]
        E. Transportation Developments

VII. Conclusions
        A. Development of a middle class (bourgeoisie)
        B. Decrease in serfdom