Ruben Arderi
AP World History
8/30/13
Book: Life in a Medieval City by Joseph and Frances Gies The Medieval age lasted for about eleven centuries; it started in 476 when the Western Roman Empire collapsed, and it ended in 1453 when the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople. It would change the world for centuries to come.
Poor hygiene and lack of medical knowledge caused many diseases in the medieval period. People were very unsanitary, trash was dumped into rivers, and sewers were open. Many people got sick, and it was not uncommon for people to die from illnesses like dysentery, malaria, diphtheria, flu, typhoid, smallpox, leprosy. Pneumonia was a great killer during the colder months, but the worst off all diseases was the black plague; it wiped out at least 30% of Europe in the 1300’s. In the 1200’s and 1300’s there was a very little amount of doctors throughout Europe. Doctors would have to go to school for about eight years, then take a year of internship by a licensed practitioner and only then could they take a formal test which determines whether they could receive a license to practice.
The most common currency was the denier in French, the dinero in Spanish, denari in Italian, denar in Hungarian, and penny in English. It was made of about 30% fine silver the rest different alloys. As the first official currency it was used all over Europe, and it introduced the idea of coins as currency to the world. Some Barons and Princes however would take out a small amount of silver and add more alloys to the coins. There is a new currency called grosso, however it’s only circulating in Italy; it is worth the same as 12 pennies since its larger silver coin. The Italians are the biggest bankers as of mid-thirteenth century, beating their competition the Jews.
Living in the city is difficult if you are poor. That’s why a large part of city is occupied artisans, people who practiced different crafts like blacksmithing, tanning, shoemaking, skinning etc… Usually these businesses would join a guild with a set of rules and obligations; artisans who join make more money. Then there are merchants who are most likely involved in international trade. Usually merchants invest their money in wool; the best wool comes from England. Merchants also invest in three other materials: linen, woven from flax: cotton, imported from India: silk, imported from the East. The rest of the city population is made up of unskilled laborers which sell agricultural products or stuff sold by others.
Medieval cities have a great deal of individual freedom including being able to have a mayor and a council; it will change the future of town governments (introduced in medieval times). Usually mayors are chosen by masters of guilds or they inherit that power. The council has power over minor crimes having its own little courts. Gothic style buildings have also been introduced in the 12th century medieval times originating in France It quickly gained popularity in France and in other countries; some of the characteristics of gothic buildings are pointed archs, ribbed vaults and flying buttress’s.
The book was very detailed in its facts and used a wide variety of words that would have been used during the time which I thought was pretty interesting. I liked that it talked about governments, and how life would be if you lived in the medieval age. It talked about all social classes not just the rich or the poor; royalty, barons, bishops, and princes were included in the book. If there was only two things that I disliked about the book: it talked about only the 12th and 13th century, and it didn’t talk about weapons that would be used or how armies would fight each other.