Medieval towns were a place of hustle and bustle. Many stores and places
of business lined the streets filled with people. These towns had marketplaces
that were important to the decline of feudalism. In the next paragraphs we will
tell you all about what it was like in medieval towns and how it got to be that
way.
Peasants and farmers began to spread and expand their farms
and villages towards the countryside. This allowed more goods to be produced
and this lead to trading with the east. Throughout this time they started to
get the hang business and how to handle moneylenders and bankers. The beginning
of a boom in trade and commerce led feudal life to decline. Tradesmen became wealthy
which prevented them from having to give their profits to their lords. The
marketplace became more of the main focus after this.
Most medieval homes were cold,
damped, or dark. The small window sizes allowed people from inside to see
clearly outside, but kept outsiders from looking inside. Many peasant families
ate, slept, and cook in their homes. Usually a peasant homes included 1-2
rooms. Their houses had thatched roofs that were easily destroyed. Most of the
time their homes were shaped like rectangle and behind their homes were usually
crops, or a farm containing animals.
A guild is a group of skilled
craftsmen who are in the same trade and they form a group. Guilds played a very
important role in medieval towns. A guild would make sure that anything made by
a guild member had all the standards and was set at a fair price. Membership of
a guild was an honor because it proved how skilled you were as a worker and
that makes people respect you more. Only members of a guild could sell within
the town. However on days where the market is open anyone can sell their
product no matter how skilled they were.
Living conditions in medieval
towns led to the spread of disease. Towns were very dirty. There was no running
water in the homes and no bathrooms. They used chamber pots to go to the
bathroom, when the chamber pots were full they dumped all of it into a river or
other waterway. Garbage was thrown into waterways and or into the streets.
People lived in cramped places where rats and fleas that carried diseases were
common. Common diseases were measles, cholera, and scarlet fever. The most
feared disease in the middle ages was the Bubonic plague. Many people died from
this disease. When people got sick their family or sometimes a doctor tended to
them. Doctors used herbs, leeches, the stars, and magic charms to cure people.
Towns were noisy, crowded, and
dangerous at night. Night watchmen patrolled the streets at night to protect
the people. Suspects were kept in jails where they were expected to provide
their own food. There were to types of trials that went on in these towns,
trial by ordeal and trial by combat. Trial by ordeal was when the suspect had
to pass a dangerous test and if they failed, they were guilty. Trial by combat
was when the suspect had to fight for their innocence. The punishments were
harsh. Common punishments were days in the stalks and execution. When royal
courts were created so was common law, which gave suspects a ton, more rights.
People in medieval towns enjoyed
some of the same entertainment as today. Children played with dolls and toys.
People played badminton and lawn bowling. Adults played checkers, card games,
chess, and danced. They celebrated special days with feasts. As you can see
people in medieval towns were well entertained.
