The Growth of

Medieval Cities
 What were Medieval Cities Like?
• Surrounded by
thick stone
walls
• Narrow streets
• Crowded
squares
• Unpleasant
smells
 How Feudalism slowly died!
The King

Magna Carta – Forced the King to

ThetoLords
Recognize he was subject laws

The Lords
Knights
The Black Death Killed off peasants
Peasants
forcing to pay in cash & growing cities
meant villeins escaped

Anyone could become a Knight

Peasants
so it wasn’t prestigious anymore!
Why did Medieval Cities Grow?
• Merchant class started appearing
• When towns grew merchants grew
• Town populations swelled
 What were guilds?
• Merchant Guilds-
people who sold
things. Shop
owners, businesses,
and stores.
• Craft Guilds-
people who made
things. Cobblers,
Blacksmiths, etc
 The Stages of a Merchant
• Apprentices The period of apprenticeship
lasted for 2-7 years, after which time the
apprentice became a journeyman.
• Journeymen The term has nothing to do with
traveling; it comes from the French "journee",
(day), and meant that the journeyman was paid
by the day for his work.
• Masters. After several years as a journeyman
the craftsman would submit a piece of his best
work to the guild for approval. If this "master-
piece" was accepted he could become a master
craftsman and own his own shop.
 Medieval Streets

• All repairs to streets were the

responsibility of house owners
• Streets were built right upon one another
• Roads were narrow
• Traffic moved slowly
• There was usually a toll to enter the city
which could be paid with things instead of
money
 Cleanliness
• Streets were nasty
• Gutters ran along the sides or down the
center of streets.
• Many horse stables opened out onto the
streets and muck heaps piled up.
• People often threw dirty water out of
windows in the general direction of the
drains.
 Criminals in Medieval Towns
• Law Enforcement. Law and order in the
town was enforced by the beadle or
constables

• Night Watch. If a "hue and cry" was

raised to chase a criminal all citizens had
to join in or risk being fined.
 Sanctuary

• If a fugitive managed to reach a church they

could claim the right of sanctuary there for a
period of 40 days. At any one time in the Middle
Ages it has been estimated that there were as
many as 1000 people in sanctuary throughout
England.
• Some Churches gave sanctuary up to 2 miles
surrounding the Church (like in the town of
Beverly)
Sanctuary

Sanctuary in Beverly
 How Were Criminals Punished?
• Most crimes were punished by some form
of physical punishment at the least
• Prisons were used only to keep someone
before they could go to trial, not as
punishment
• If you stole something, you could be put to
death
How Were Criminals Punished?
 The Curfew Bell
• Curfews were imposed in towns to keep the
peace.
• Originally the "curfew bell" was rung at 8 or 9
o'clock in the evening to indicate that it was time
for smiths, brewers, and taverners to cease their
working day.
• Anyone out after 9pm after that had to carry a
light and have a good excuse for being out.
• People couldn’t carry weapons around at night,
especially if they were from out of town.
 Fire in the Cities
• Because the buildings were made of wood and
buildings were close to one another, fires broke
out often.
• Wood was way cheaper than brick
• Everyone had to keep a large container of water
outside their house in case fire broke out
• If there was a fire, everyone in the city was
expected to come running and help put it out.
 The City Day

• The day officially began with the ringing of

the Angelus bell at 4 or 5 in the morning.
• Most shops opened at 6 AM, providing
plenty of early morning shopping before
the first meal of the day at 9 or 10 AM.
• Morning was when most selling took
place
• Most shops closed up by 3pm
 Markets
• Markets were noisy, raucous affairs.
Merchants had to "cry the wares" as their
only means of advertising, and some had
to be fined for forcibly grabbing hold of
passers-by in their enthusiasm to make a
sale.
 Bells and Criers
• Bells were the main medium of telling time and
making announcements. A Common Bell was
rung to summon civic meetings, courts, and as
an alarm in case of fire or attack.
• The town crier rang a hand bell when he walked
throughout the town declaiming news and
proclamations.
• The criers were the main source of news for
town dwellers.
• They also had the task of ringing their bells to
solicit prayers in memory of people who had
paid for the privilege.
Middle Ages
 Medieval Middle Class
• A new class of
merchants,
traders, and
artisans who
arose in Europe in
the late Middle
Ages
 Magna Carta
• England’s King
John I was forced by
his nobles to sign a
document granting
them legal rights in
1215.
• Document shaped
British government
and American ideals
of liberty and justice
Black Plague
• Also known as the
“Black Death” or
bubonic plague
• Spread from China,
India, and the Middle
East to Europe in
1347
• Resulted in
starvation, riots, and
economic collapse