4.6. A Fourth Order? New Towns and Townspeople

Expansion in agriculture was accompanied by growth in three related areas: population, trade and towns. From roughly 42 million in 1000, Europe’s population stood at 62 million around 1200 and 73 million in 1300. Better food meant a longer lifespan. By the thirteenth century, an average European could expect to live 10 years longer than in the eighth century. Women and girls had shorter lifespans compared to men because the latter ate better food.

During this period, agricultural improvements led to increased food production, which in turn caused the population of Europe to grow significantly. From 42 million people around the year 1000, the population rose to 62 million by 1200 and 73 million by 1300. This growth was attributed to better diets that improved overall health and longevity. Interestingly, while the general lifespan increased, women often lived shorter lives than men due to disparities in nutrition.

Imagine a village where crops are yielding double the amount due to better farming techniques and tools. Families thrive, children grow up healthy, and the number of people living in the village increases every year. However, you notice that the women in the village seem to not live as long as the men, perhaps because they are responsible for feeding their families and often have less access to the best food.

The towns of the Roman Empire had become deserted and ruined after its fall. But from the eleventh century, as agriculture increased and became able to sustain higher levels of population, towns began to grow again. Peasants who had surplus grain to sell needed a place where they could set up a selling center and where they could buy tools and cloth. This led to the growth of periodic fairs and small marketing centers which gradually developed town-like features – a town square, a church, roads where merchants built shops and homes, an office where those who governed the town could meet. In other places, towns grew around large castles, bishops’ estates, or large churches.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, towns largely disappeared as people moved into rural areas. However, starting from the eleventh century, agriculture became more productive, allowing for larger populations. As surplus grain was produced by farmers, they needed places to trade their products and purchase goods. Consequently, new towns emerged, often around important sites like castles and churches, featuring essential structures like a town square and shops.

Think of a small community that initially had no market. Once farmers start producing too much food, they set up a local market on weekends where everyone gathers. This not only boosts the economy but also helps forge community bonds. The market becomes a focal point – similar to how the towns of medieval Europe would attract people for trade.

In towns, instead of services, people paid a tax to the lords who owned the land on which the town stood. Towns offered the prospect of paid work and freedom from the lord’s control, for young people from peasant families. ‘Town air makes free’ was a popular saying. Many serfs craving to be free ran away and hid in towns. If a serf could stay for one year and one day without his lord discovering him, he would become a free man. Many people in towns were free peasants or escaped serfs who provided unskilled labor. Shopkeepers and merchants were numerous.

Towns represented a new social order where many serfs began finding freedom from the oppressive feudal system. Instead of providing free labor to their lords, they could pay taxes to live and work in towns, where they found better opportunities. There was a saying, 'Town air makes free,' which suggested that simply living in a town could lead to freedom from serfdom if one could remain undetected for a year and a day.

Picture a young girl named Eliza who is a serf bound to work on her lord's estate. Hearing rumors of freedom in the nearby town, she decides to make the journey, where she finds paid work and community support. After a year, she officially becomes a free woman, able to shape her destiny.

The basis of economic organization was the guild. Each craft or industry was organized into a guild, an association which controlled the quality of the product, its price and its sale. The ‘guild-hall’ was a feature of every town; it was a building for ceremonial functions, and where the heads of all the guilds met formally.

As towns grew, so did the need for organization in various trades. Guilds were formed as associations of craftspeople and merchants working in the same field to regulate the quality, pricing, and sale of goods. Guild halls were established as meeting places for guild members to discuss matters related to their trades, thus enhancing cooperation and standards within each guild.

Consider a modern-day farmers' market where local farmers come together to sell their produce. They might form a cooperative guild to ensure high standards, agree on fair pricing, and host market events. Just like the medieval guilds, these modern organizations help small producers thrive by working together.

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