Importance of Towns in 12th Century Europe

Generally, the emergence of developing towns in the 12th Century brought about a strengthening of the economy and the social structure. Commerce increased rapidly as a result, and "closely related causally to this increase in trade was a revival of specialized craftsmanship and the development of towns" (Tierney & Painter, 1983, p. 267).

The development of towns, then, played a major role in a general revival of trade throughout Western Europe, and in the reemergence of an economy based on money.

Up until the time when towns began to develop and affect the course of the economy in Europe, trade had been stifled due to unstable routes dominated by warring factions, and by the simple fact that the needs of the Christian West and the Muslim East in Europe did not coincide.

By the end of the tenth century, however, the "commercial revival" had appeared, first in Italy: "The inland towns of northern Italy began to have some industry of their own, notably the weaving of woolen cloth, but the market for this cloth was very limited at first. The opening of new routes to new markets.was largely the work of the coastal settlements of western Italy" (Tierney & Painter, 1983, p. 269).

It is important to note, then, that the development of the town in Europe was not simply a matter of commerce actively bringing about a center in which to trade. To the contrary, the towns themselves--or, at any ra

. . .
see that as the towns developed in response to trading needs, the trade itself expanded, having the convenience of the towns as effective centers for trade. As the trade-based economy developed, needs of producers increased, requiring increased cooperation and interdependence among the towns. The towns inevitably grew as the trade grew and as the overall economic needs of the towns, regions, and nations increased. Slavin concurs with this assessment: "The communities thus engendered were not mere distribution points for luxury goods. They were becoming more and more concerned to produce and distribute necessities of life to the growing regional populations. And the relations between traders, producers, and consumers were less parasitic than symbiotic . . . Everywhere in Italy the towns were taking on a commercial aspect of necessity. Large-scale trade attracted men with small surpluses of capital . . . This meant that agrarian surpluses lay at the bottom of commerce . . . There was . . . in every town a resident nobility with country estates, eager to profit from the conjunction of need and privilege" (Slavin, 1972, p. 525). We see also that the growth of towns did not do away with the great economic disparities which e
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tierney Painter, Augsburg Russell, Ypres Arras, , East Europe, Bordeaux Cracow, Western Europe, Genoa Pisa, Genoese Pisan, Russian Novgorod, development towns, tierney painter 1983, tierney painter, painter 1983, slavin 1972, 12th century, 1983 269, painter 1983 269, towns europe, genoa pisa, slavin 1972 539, trade expanded, europe 12th century, social political, towns 12th century,
Approximate Word count = 1544
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Importance of Towns in 12th Century Europe