What Was City Life Like in the Middle Ages?
Summary
TLDRThis episode of 'Medieval Madness' explores the complex lives of medieval city dwellers, contrasting the bustling trade and cultural activities with the squalor and crime. It delves into the rise of cities as economic hubs, the transformation of serfs into freemen, and the challenges of waste management and disease. The video also highlights the social hierarchy, the importance of guilds, and the grandeur of cathedrals, which were not just religious centers but also economic drivers. Despite the hardships, cities were essential for spiritual, economic, political, and cultural activities, offering a glimpse into the vibrant, yet harsh, medieval urban life.
Takeaways
- ๐ฐ Medieval cities had governing bodies, educational structures, bankers, lawyers, hospitals, merchants, and were centers for trade and exchange of goods and services, similar to modern cities.
- ๐ By the 11th century, more Europeans moved to towns and cities due to increased business opportunities and overseas trade, leading to urban growth.
- ๐ง Cities were enclosed within protective walls with towers for defense, and access was controlled through gates.
- ๐ฅ The majority of city dwellers were either freeborn or peasants who had escaped from rural servitude.
- ๐๏ธ Cities offered the chance for peasants to become Freemen after residing there for a year and a day, potentially gaining freedom from feudal obligations.
- ๐ Medieval cities were small compared to today's megacities, with some housing as few as 10,000 to 25,000 people, though London was an exception with 80,000 to 100,000 inhabitants.
- ๐๏ธ Cities were crowded, noisy, and unsanitary, with narrow streets and a mix of residential and commercial buildings.
- ๐พ Waste disposal was a significant issue, and cities like London implemented strict regulations and fines for waste management, eventually leading to organized refuse collection.
- ๐ก๏ธ Cities had high crime rates, including murder, theft, and assault, and implemented curfews and other measures to try to maintain order.
- ๐๏ธ Cathedrals were central to medieval cities, not only for religious purposes but also as economic drivers, employing many craftsmen and contributing to the city's economy.
- ๐ญ Despite the challenges, medieval cities were also hubs for culture and pastimes, offering a variety of activities and experiences for their inhabitants.
Q & A
What were some of the similarities between medieval cities and modern cities?
-Medieval cities, like modern ones, had governing bodies, educational structures, bankers, lawyers, hospitals, merchants, and an exchange of goods and services. They also had extraordinary cathedrals that still stand today.
Why did Richard Devy's view of London in the 1190s differ from the general perception of cities during the Middle Ages?
-Richard Devy's viewed London as a place where all the world's evils could be found, highlighting the negative aspects of city life such as crime and immorality, which was a stark contrast to the general perception of cities as centers of opportunity and progress during the Middle Ages.
How did the migration to cities during the high Middle Ages change the demographics of Europe?
-By the high Middle Ages in the 11th century, the number of Europeans living in cities had increased as more business opportunities and trade overseas expanded, leading to a decrease in the percentage of the population living in the countryside and feudal lands.
What were the incentives for peasants to migrate from rural areas to medieval cities?
-Peasants were incentivized to migrate to cities by the prospect of becoming Freemen, which offered them freedom from serfdom. If they could reside in the city for a year and a day without being claimed by their lord, they could gain their freedom.
How did medieval cities manage waste disposal, and what regulations were in place to maintain cleanliness?
-Medieval cities managed waste disposal through strict regulations. For instance, in London, waste could no longer be thrown out of windows onto the streets after 1371. Instead, it had to be disposed of in central drainage channels. Householders were held liable for keeping the area outside their homes clean, and fines were imposed for violations.
What were the social classes in medieval cities, and how did they differ from rural areas?
-The social hierarchy in medieval cities was different from rural areas. At the top were landlords with governmental positions, followed by merchants and lawyers, then artisans and traders, and finally unskilled workers and laborers. This was a contrast to the rural areas where the hierarchy was more focused on land ownership and serfdom.
How did the construction of cathedrals in medieval cities contribute to the local economy?
-The construction of cathedrals provided employment for stonemasons, glaziers, engineers, architects, and various craftsmen, thus fueling the city's economy and providing a source of income for many residents.
What were some of the challenges faced by medieval city dwellers in terms of sanitation and public health?
-Medieval city dwellers faced challenges such as squalor, noise, overcrowding, and disease due to poor sanitation. Waste disposal was a significant issue, and cities had to implement strict regulations and waste management schemes to maintain cleanliness and public health.
How did the Black Death pandemic impact the population of medieval cities?
-The Black Death pandemic led to a significant dip in the population of medieval cities. For example, London's population, which had grown to accommodate between 80,000 and 100,000 people by 1300, was severely affected by the first wave of the pandemic in 1339.
What role did guilds play in medieval cities, and what benefits did they provide to their members?
-Guilds in medieval cities were established for skilled artisans and provided members with special privileges such as workman's compensation, the right to trade in the market, and the ability to limit the number of specific trades within a city, thus protecting their members' livelihoods.
Outlines
๐ฐ Life in Medieval Cities
This paragraph delves into the structure and lifestyle of medieval cities, highlighting their similarities to modern urban centers with governing bodies, educational institutions, and various professional classes. It discusses the migration of people to cities for better opportunities, the growth of towns from villages, and the protective walls around cities. The social hierarchy within cities is explored, with a focus on the transition from serfdom to freedom for those who migrated to urban areas. The paragraph also touches on the size of medieval cities compared to today's metropolises and the economic and social dynamics that shaped them.
๐ฎ Sanitation and Crime in Medieval Urban Life
The second paragraph focuses on the challenges of sanitation and crime in medieval cities. It describes the crowded and unsanitary conditions, the disposal of waste, and the measures taken to maintain cleanliness, such as fines for littering and the organization of refuse collection services. The paragraph also details the rise in crime rates, particularly murder, theft, and assault, and the implementation of curfews to enhance safety. It provides examples of violent incidents and the protective attitudes of citizens towards their cities, as well as the social and economic activities that contributed to the cities' vibrancy.
๐๏ธ Cathedrals and Cultural Life in the Middle Ages
The final paragraph emphasizes the cultural and economic significance of cathedrals in medieval cities, which were not only religious centers but also economic drivers due to the craftsmen they employed. It contrasts the negative view of London by Richard Davies with the more positive perspective of William FitzStephen, who celebrated the city's entertainment and pastimes. The paragraph concludes by acknowledging the multifaceted roles of medieval cities as hubs for spiritual, economic, political, and cultural activities, and it invites viewers to subscribe for more historical insights.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กMedieval Cities
๐กGoverning Bodies
๐กFreeman
๐กSerfs
๐กCathedrals
๐กTrade Routes
๐กBlack Death
๐กWaste Management
๐กGuilds
๐กSocial Hierarchy
Highlights
Medieval cities had governing bodies, educational structures, bankers, lawyers, hospitals, merchants, and an exchange of goods and services, similar to today's cities.
Despite the benefits, medieval people like Richard Devys were critical of cities, viewing them as centers of evil and malice.
About 90% of Europeans lived in rural areas during the Middle Ages, but this number decreased as more people migrated to cities for better opportunities.
Villages grew around castles, monasteries, and along trade routes, eventually becoming walled towns and cities.
Peasants and serfs escaped to cities to gain freedom, as authorities offered them the chance to become Freemen after residing in the city for a year and a day.
Medieval cities were much smaller than today's metropolises, with some housing only 25,000 people, while others like London had up to 100,000 inhabitants.
London, Bruges, and Ghent had a close trading relationship, with raw wool being processed and made into clothing across these cities.
Medieval cities were crowded, noisy, and unsanitary, leading to the establishment of waste disposal regulations and the first refuse collection services.
After the Black Death, householders were held liable for keeping the area outside their homes clean, with fines for non-compliance.
Violent crimes like murder, theft, and assault were common, with curfews and city gates being used to try and maintain safety.
Despite the challenges, medieval cities were essential hubs for spiritual, economic, political, and cultural activities.
Cathedrals were not only religious centers but also economic drivers, employing various craftsmen and fueling the city's economy.
The social hierarchy in cities was different from rural areas, with landlords, merchants, lawyers, artisans, and laborers forming the social structure.
Guilds were established for skilled artisans, providing special privileges and limiting the number of specific trades within a city.
Medieval cities had a mix of residential and commercial buildings, with craftsmen often living above their workshops.
Religious houses like parish churches played a significant role in medieval life, with the Catholic Church dominating all aspects of society.
Some cathedrals took centuries to complete, reflecting the long-term commitment and resources invested by medieval cities in their construction.
Transcripts
a lot of medieval cities were similar to
ours today in that they had governing
bodies educational structures bankers
lawyers hospitals merchants and an
exchange of goods and services as well
as some extraordinary Cathedrals that
are still standing today though the
medievals themselves were unsure about
the advantages of their cities the
English chronicler and monk Richard
devy's wrote about London in the 1190s
and said quote whatever evil or
malicious thing that can be found in any
part of the world you will find it in
that one city so what was life like for
these medieval metropolitans let's
travel back in time and find out welcome
to Medieval Madness
foreign
of the Middle Ages about 90 percent of
Europeans lived in the countryside and
religious communities or in feudal land
but by the time we reached the high
Middle Ages in the 11th century that
number had fallen as more business
opportunities opened up and trade
overseas expanded then more people
decided to migrate to the towns and
cities in search of a better way of life
many villages had grown up outside of
manners castles or monasteries and along
trade routes over time these Villages
later became towns and cities that were
enclosed within a protective wall in
dispersed with towers that would have
Arrow slits for defense access to a
medieval city was usually controlled
through Gates inside the walls it would
be crowded with streets and buildings
usually with a central Cathedral
safety
most people in the cities were either
Born Free or were a peasant who had
escaped from a manner in the countryside
peasants or serfs who lived on a piece
of land were required to work for the
Lord of The Manor in return for this
they had the right to cultivate that
plot of land for their Provisions but
they also had to work on their Lord's
Fields serfs could not leave the land
that they were bound to and were only
allowed to marry with their Lord's
permission it's no surprise then that
many serfs run away to the cities
whenever they got the chance As Cities
grew the authorities encouraged people
to relocate by offering any peasant the
opportunity to become a Freeman if they
left their rural community and resided
within the city for a year and a day
without being claimed by their lord they
could gain their freedom however the
last thing that someone who was
essentially a runaway slave would want
to do as they entered the city walls was
to announce themselves and record their
name in the date otherwise your lord
could send his Steward or bailiff
looking for you and easily find out that
you were somewhere within the city but
these cities needed workers to function
properly so the hours that bee organized
many hush-hush under the table lists of
people who were waiting for their year
and a day of Freedom some bailiffs and
stewards were even accepting bribes from
the city authorities to encourage serves
to leave their farms and migrate to the
cities
crowded
today in 2023 our idea of a city is
somewhere like Delhi in India with a
population of over 16 million people or
New York with over 19 million medieval
cities were tiny in comparison in Europe
there were about 15 to 20 cities that
housed about 25 000 people in Spain the
cities on the quarter of a million
resident list included Valencia and
Barcelona in Germany cologne and
Nuremberg and in France Bordeaux and
toulou among others in England by 1300
York and Bristol were the second largest
cities but only housed around 10 to 12
000 people each in comparison the
capital London had grown to accommodate
between 80 and 100
000 although figures took a huge dip in
the middle of the century when the first
wave of the Black Death pandemic hit in
1339 King Edward III called London the
mirror and Exemplar of the whole realm
in about 1100 though London shared the
same number of citizens of around 40 000
habitants as its trading cities of Bruce
and gent which were just across the
English Channel this was not a
coincidence as the three cities had a
close trading relationship raw wool was
manufactured in the rural areas of
England before being transported to
London then it would be loaded and
shipped down the Thames river and across
the channel to the textile cities of
Bruges and Ghent where it would be
processed and made into clothing some of
that clothing would be shipped out
across Europe and some would find its
way back to England so it makes sense
that the three cities were roughly the
same size
stinky
most medieval cities might now be home
to great opportunities and wealth but
they were also Rife with squalor they
were noisy crowded places with a
hodgepodge of narrow streets stuffed
full of houses some had yards where pigs
and other animals were kept they were
smelly packed full and a breeding ground
for disease even though the scientific
discovery of bacteria was still
centuries away the medieval soon came to
understand that waste was filthy and
certainly not pleasant to be around
especially in cities on a warm summer's
day this prompted stricter criteria for
the disposal of waste water but from
1371 in London there was no more
throwing it out of bedroom windows onto
the people passing below yes it could be
disposed of in the central drainage
channels that ran down most of the city
streets but get caught chucking it out
rather than walking downstairs with it
and you would be fine two Shillings
following the understandable paranoia of
disease after the black death
householders in London and York were
officially held liable for keeping the
area outside of their own front door
clean in Coventry any man that did not
clean the pavement town out of his home
with a broom and a bucket on a Saturday
was fined 12 Pence that was okay for the
side streets but what about the busy
thoroughfares jam-packed with people and
horses and all of the rubbish that they
created in 1372 London came up with the
idea of organizing its first refuse
collection publicly funded by using the
money raised from the fines on dodgy
Brewers 24 horses and 12 carts were
purchased to start a waste management
scheme weekly rubbish collections also
occurred in York and Norwich whilst in
Coventry the cart came by on a Saturday
probably to align with the enforced
cleaning day rubbish was to be kept
inside the home until the carts arrived
demand had grown so much that by the
early 16th century collections in London
had increased to three times a week
despite these measures there was no way
to regulate the behavior of the hundreds
of visitors that came into the towns and
cities every day with their dogs pigs
horses and poultry their litter let an
adequate amount of work for the many
scavengers and nutcrackers who had to
collect their detritus from the filth
ridden streets and take the feces soil
and debris by boat or cart and deposited
outside of the city walls
violent
the murder rate Rose unrelentingly
towards the end of the 14th century
murder along with theft and assault
became a serious problem for the
medieval city dweller curfews were used
to try and keep citizens safe from
strangers and a bell would be wrong to
allow people to hurry back to their
homes before the city Gates were closed
and locked but sometimes the dangers
were a lot closer to home and came from
a citizen's own neighbors many residents
became quite protective over the state
of their cities and arguments would
often break out some becoming quite
heated and violent in London in 1322 the
son of a Goldsmith called William
relieved himself into a pot and then
threw the urine onto the shoes of a
passerby a raw erupted and philipped
acidone who tried to intervene was
killed by a wound that was penetrating
to the brain just for trying to make the
peace an ill seller from Hampton named
Roger styward also met a sticky end he
was caught on Caldwell in a street in
London fly tipping eel skins in front of
two shops one of the shopkeepers chased
him into a nearby churchyard and gave
him such a brutal beating that Roger was
only able to manage to Lurch a few steps
to cheapside before he dropped dead
Simon De Warfield continued to throw his
rubbish into the street despite several
warnings he called his Alderman rude
names after being arrested in 1343.
similarly Beatrice lanbourne called her
Alderman a broken down old Yokel when
she was charged with the same offense 30
years later William Emery a poulterer
known for littering the London streets
with Heron horse and gustung really got
on his neighbor's nose when he threw out
quote horse pissed that had stood under
his horse a month or six weeks so that
no man could pass perhaps it could be
called Poetic Justice then when Johan
Tully fell to his death in 1326 was
urinating out of his window into the
street the authorities at London in 1414
were so set on cleaning up their filthy
streets that they even offered a reward
for snitching on waste dumping neighbors
anyone willing to grasp on a litera was
given two Shillings and four Pence's
payment and an extra 12 Pence out of the
culprit's four Shillings fine that
little incentive would have been worth
about 100 pounds today and probably
resulted in turning many fed up
londoners into still pitch
business and culture
although only a small minority of people
made up the population of medieval
cities they benefited well from the
spending power of those Countryside
dwellers who traveled in to take
advantages of the goods on offer but
they also brought in Goods to sell to
Merchants such as butchers Millers and
furriers without this flow of fresh
goods such as meat and milk neither
manufacturer nor retailer would have
been able to make a living the hierarchy
of cities was different from that in
rural areas at the top of the social
scale were the landlords who usually
held important governmental positions
followed by the merchants and lawyers
then came The Artisans and Traders with
the unskilled workers and laborers at
the bottom of the pile just as today
medieval cities had a mixture of
residential and commercial buildings
many Craftsmen lived with their family
upstairs above the workshops in medieval
cities today we can see the legacy of
their occupation with street names such
as pie Corner beef Lane Apothecary
Street and Fisher row guilds were
established for skilled Artisans which
meant special privileges such as
workman's compensation the right to
trade of the market and limiting the
number of specific trades within a city
Parish churches and other religious
houses were important in cities during
an age when the Catholic Church
dominated all aspects of medieval life
probably the most impressive part of a
medieval city was its Cathedral some
were hundreds of years in the making
York Minster although founded in 627
wasn't finished until 1472 and while
Cologne Cathedral was begun in 1248 it
was the middle of the 16th century
before work was fully completed these
buildings fueled their City's economies
by employing stonemasons Glaziers
Engineers Architects and a multitude of
Craftsmen down through the centuries
Richard Davies saw London as a den of
iniquity full of dangerous Temptations
with its taverns gambling dens and
brothels and there can be no doubt that
most cities in the Middle Ages were
similar in that they were dirty
overcrowded expensive and full of
disease but not long after Davies
maligned London the cleric William Fitz
Stephen praised the city as quote a
place of thrilling spectacles at
devotion and exciting pastimes including
skating and football just like our
cities of today for the medievals they
were essential hubs for Spiritual
economic political and cultural
activities thank you for watching this
episode of Medieval Madness please
subscribe if you haven't and I'll see
you next week for another video cheers
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