MEDIEVAL “WORLD” TRADE



HANDOUT # 8: MEDIEVAL “WORLD” TRADE

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2.[pic]Travel in the Middle Ages was slow , uncomfortable, and usually dangerous. Today, we can travel around 55 miles in one hour. In the Middle Ages, it would have taken a fast horse over two days to travel 55 miles. A few main roads in Europe had been built by the Romans, and were still around during the Middle Ages. However, most roads were made of dirt that turned into a river of mud when it rained. The old Roman roads were full of pot holes were peasants had “borrowed” a stone from the road to patch up their homes. The potholes and mud limited travel to walking, horses, and light tow wheeled carts. Most people walked, because horses were very expensive and only the rich could afford them. Any heavy loads were transported on the ocean or by river. Robbers were found on both sea and land and robbed and killed those who were not careful. Only very desperate people traveled by night, when the robbers were the most active. Most people didn’t travel at all. Common people sometimes lived their whole lives never traveling more than 10 miles from the place where they were born. The nobility traveled more, usually moving from castle to castle throughout the course of the year to check on each of their properties.

3.Travelers

Merchants also traveled a great deal in order to find new commodities (goods) to sell. These men usually traveled by sea or by land routes. No one explored very far away from land, because everyone believed the world was flat and that if they went to far into the ocean they might fall off the edge of the world. No one in Europe knew that America or Australia existed. People did travel around Europe, Africa, and Asia though Merchants brought back many luxuries from far off places. From Africa, merchants brought slaves, sugar, gold, ivory, and precious stones and from Asia came silk, furs, carpets, and the valuable spices such as pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Crusaders returning from the Holy Land brought exotic goods such as rice, cotton perfume, mirrors, lemon, and melons. Toward the end of the middle ages many regions were making goods such as wine, salt, wool, copper, fish, and timber, for sale in other parts of Europe.

4. ITALIAN CITY-STATES

Merchants and sailors that traveled to distant lands took great risks in search of things to sell. Bad weather and pirates were constant threats. If a crew was shipwrecked, they had little hope of being rescued as many countries had laws that said all goods recovered from a shipwrecked vessel was the property of the finders unless there were survivors.

In the late 1300’s, Italian City States became the center of trade. This was due in part to their location on the Mediterranean, which was a economic super highway during this time period. In the 13th and 14th centuries, more and more people began to be able to purchase more and more goods, and so the demand for such goods increased.

Definition: Italian City States: were the center of the rebirth of European trade and culture at the end of the Middle Ages.

5. The Polo‘s, The Silk Road, and Kublai Khan

In the middle 13th century Nicolo Polo and his brother Maffeo were Venetian merchants. In 1260 the brothers traveled over land to the Mongol capital and remained in the Khan’s court until their return to Venice in 1269.….In 1271, the merchants again made the hazardous journey to Kublai Khan’s (Genghis Khan’s grandson) court this time taking Nicolo’s 17 year old son Marco this time staying with Khan for 17 years. Marco Polo’s description of his travels aroused the interest of Medieval Europe in the Orient (Asia). To make sure the brothers would be treated good in the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan presented them with a golden tablet a foot long and three inches wide inscribed with the words “ By the strength of the eternal Heaven, holy be the Khan’s name.” During the Polos 17 year stay in Khan’s court they acquired great wealth in jewels and gold.

12 pennies = 1 shilling 20 shillings=1 pound 1 pound= $2.40

Item Price in Date Price in Dollars

|Item |Date |Price in |Price in Dollars|Amount |

|Cheap Wine |13th Century |4 shillings |48 cents |1 gallon |

| Axe |1457 |5 shillings |60 cents |1 axe |

|Racing Horse |13th Century |10 pounds |$24 |1 horse |

|A Serf to get married |14th Century ? |1-13 shillings |$.24-$1.56 |1 spouse |

|Boots |1470’s |6 shillings |$.72 |1 pair |

|Peasants Sword |1340’s |6 shillings |$.72 |1 sword |

|Gold Ring with diamond |1382 |7 pounds |$18 |1 ring |

|Pillows |1457 |4 shillings |$.48 |4 pillows |

|Chicken |14th century |1 shilling |$.12 |1 chicken |

Medieval Wages In Dollars

| Profession |Wage per day |Wage per year |

|Carpenter |Master Guild Member |3 shillings (36 cents) |$31.16 (dollars) |

|Noble (man/woman) |Duke/ Duchess |7 pounds 2s ($72.24) |$31,680 (dollars) |

|King/Queen |During peacetime |82 pounds 3s ($198.36) |$86,400 |

|Kitchen Servant |Of a Noble |Less than a shilling |$00.36 (36 cents) |

Note: that these conversion rates are based on from the early 20th century, these are not the actual conversion rates but are meant to give an approximate representation of the value of medieval goods in modern day U.S. dollars. All calculations are based on currency conversion rates from , as well as the prices of medieval goods found at the following web site..

1. The majority of people made the amount of money a Kitchen Servant makes per year, What do these two charts tell you about rich and poor?

2. Based on these charts could a Kitchen Servant afford a pair of boots? What do you imagine the live of a peasant must have been like?

3. Was Medieval Trade beneficial to everyone?

12 pennies = 1 shilling 20 shillings=1 pound 1 pound= $2.40

Item Price in Date Price in Dollars

|Item |Date |Price in |Price in Dollars |Amount |

|Cheap Wine |13th Century |4 shillings |48 cents |1 gallon |

| Axe |1457 |5 shillings |60 cents |1 axe |

|Racing Horse |13th Century |10 pounds |$24 |1 horse |

|A Serf to get married |14th Century ? |1-13 shillings |$.24-$1.56 |1 spouse |

|Boots |1470’s |6 shillings |$.72 |1 pair |

|Peasants Sword |1340’s |6 shillings |$.72 |1 sword |

|Gold Ring with diamond |1382 |7 pounds |$18 |1 ring |

|Pillows |1457 |4 shillings |$.48 |4 pillows |

|Chicken |14th century |1 shilling |$.12 |1 chicken |

Medieval Wages In Dollars

| Profession |Wage per day |Wage per year |

|Carpenter |Master Guild Member |3 shillings (36 cents) |$31.16 (dollars) |

|Noble (man/woman) |Duke/ Duchess |7 pounds 2s ($72.24) |$31,680 (dollars) |

|King/Queen |During peacetime |82 pounds 3s ($198.36) |$86,400 |

|Kitchen Servant |Of a Noble |Less than a shilling |$00.36 (36 cents) |

Note: that these conversion rates are based on from the early 20th century, these are not the actual conversion rates but are meant to give an approximate representation of the value of medieval goods in modern day U.S. dollars. All calculations are based on currency conversion rates from , as well as the prices of medieval goods found at the following web site..

1. The majority of people made the amount of money a Kitchen Servant makes per year, What do these two charts tell you about rich and poor?

2. Based on these charts could a Kitchen Servant afford a pair of boots? What do you imagine the live of a peasant must have been like?

3. Was Medieval Trade beneficial to everyone?

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Above: A bank in Florence Italy. Worked like modern checking account.  Merchant would deposit gold and receive a Bill of Exchange.  Could then turn that in for gold at other banks.  Easier and Safer than carrying gold along trade routes

Above: Execution of a Pirate and seventy of his mates in Hamburg

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