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Explain the development of towns in the central Middle Ages (11th

13th

Centuries) include examples of

two towns from different regions to illustrate your arguments

Throughout the Central Middle Ages, which spanned from the eleventh to thirteenth century, there was a

marked shift in where people and populations were situated. The emergence of urban dwellings altered the

previously rural based life in medieval Europe. It is necessary, yet difficult, to find what constituted a

town and form a finite distinction based on physical characteristics or demographics alone. Indeed, Dyerrecognises this difficulty on another level, as the title town was used in clerical works in relation to

settlements that were both rural and urban1. Therefore it can be determined that a town was a complex

entity which perhaps, due to the distinctive and ununiformed nature of all medieval settlements in the

period, was not a standardised urban mode of living. Such is illustrated when reflecting on two majorand

distinctly different towns, London and Paris. When looking to determine the progress of growth of

medieval towns in the period, it is essential to realise that no singular factor was of sole influence. It is

necessary to understand that a medieval way of life was perpetuated and pervaded by many simultaneous

powers. The influences that stimulated the growth and development of towns during the eleventh tothirteenth centuries can be recognised as a triplet of forces that were symbiotic and dynamic. They were the

religious, economic and social pressures of the time and were influences that ultimately led urban dwellings

to expand and change.

Religion was an integral aspect of life in the Central Middle Ages. Its prominence is evident when looking

to the initial development of towns in terms of their origins. Isolated places of worship, such asmonasteries, were gradually populated over time: individual dwellings began around their peripheries until

the population density morphed into that of a town. The permeation of religion in the beginnings of town

growth is also evident in the placement of cathedrals within towns, including London and Paris. Cathedrals

were often found at the heart of medieval towns, suggesting the dominance that religious influence had

over society during the Central Middle Ages. Therefore it is evident that religion was a permeating force

that prompted the growth of towns in the Central Middle Ages. Indeed, there was an evident reliance onreligion within town life, as in modern times the social density of a medieval town can be approximated by

the number of parish churches evident in the urban area2. Religion continued to play a large part in the

ongoing expansion and development within towns as well. Indeed, from 1200 Paris saw the development of

approximately fifty-five religious buildings, including churches3. Therefore, it is evident that religious

influences were pervasive during the times of development and subsequent dwelling within these urban

areas in the Central Middle Ages. However, while religion was evidently an essential aspect of medieval

town formation and development, new ideas were flourishing, encouraged by an economic boom at thebeginning of the 11

thCentury, brining commercial aspirations to the fore.

The beginning of the Central Middle Ages, in the eleventh century, saw an increase in agricultural

production lead to a shift in economic activity. What was once a system based on the currency of trading

favours became integrated with monetary earnings that were not limited to the upper manorial classes. As a

result, the marketplace became an increasingly integral aspect of commercial interaction for any individuals

within clustered dwellings. The monetization of the Central Middle Ages was so pervasive that it extended

also into feudalistic military pursuits, as is evident in the rise of scutage, which was money paid in the

name of shields4. These commercial influences were continued throughout the period, and seemed to be at

their height between 1120 505. The effect that this new economic climate had on the development of

1

Dyer, Christopher, Small Towns 1270 1540, in D.M Palliser, The Cambridge Urban History of BritainVol.1 6001540(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 2000, Cambridge Histories Online) p 505.

2Schofield, John and Vince, Alan,Medieval Towns: The Archaeology of Medieval Europe, 11001600

(London: Continuum 2003) p 178

3Goodson, Caroline, Lester, Anne E. and Symes, Carol, Cities, Texts and Social Networks 400 1500:

Experiences and Perceptions of Medieval Urban Space (Surrey: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2010 pp. 67-8.

4Source originally fromDialogue of Exquecher, 1177, Book 1, reprinted in Cave, Roy C. and Coulson,Herbert H.,A Source Book for Medieval Economic History, (Milwaukee: The Bruce Publishing Co., 1936;

reprint ed., New York: Biblo & Tannen, 1965)

5Fossier, Robert. The Rural Economy and Demographic Growth c.1024c.1198. Eds. David Luscombe

and Jonathan Riley-Smith. In The New Cambridge Medieval History (Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press, 2004. Cambridge Histories Online) pp. 12 - 13.

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medieval towns was two fold. Firstly, it provided a perfect atmosphere for the growth of populations, due to

the increased prosperity and subsequent quality of life enjoyed by all levels of society. Indeed, there is an

evident correlation between the rise of cities in the Central Middle Ages and the expansion of trade, andsubsequent economic activity, during this time

6. This drove migration to new areas that could hold the

larger numbers of people. Thus urbanization began to take place, where marketplaces were frequented and

economic pursuits began to flourish. Thus, new towns began to emerge, clustered around marketplaces.

Secondly, the economic climate could be taken advantage of by noblemen, who could create plannedtowns. This was a less organic formation of urban dwellings, as they were created with the intent to make

use of the economic prosperity for the benefit of the nobleman that initially had control of the town.However, Palliser, Slater and Dennison attest that there is no such thing as an organically created town, and

that all developments of a town in the physical sense were ultimately planned, as the intent was always

linked back to the economy and potential gains7. Conversely, as previously mentioned, expansion and

progress was not limited to economic purposes, therefore showing that the development of towns was not

planned solely for commercial gain, but rather developed from societal and religious influences. It is

evident that initial urban development was also driven by commercial influences, however the ongoingdevelopment within towns that carried on throughout the Central Middle Ages, and can also be attributed to

social factors.

Towns in the Central Middle Ages continued to grow and develop after their establishment by means of

religious and economic influences. As hubs of social activity, this continued growth is attributed to socialforces and pressures. Towns provided a new social order that had not been seen before in medieval Europe.

The class of the burghers or bourgeois were intrinsically connected and integrated into the urban landscape,

a phenomenon that did not conform to the pre-existing and overtly powerful feudal system in which all

social life had been previously structured8. However despite their relative infancy, the class of urban

dwellers thrived in the economic strongholds that towns provided. As a result, there was much prosperity

on a social level, and this was inevitably reflected in physical structures of the town. The restoring andbuilding of bridges, walls and ornate town halls was a way in which the physical development of a town

could represent the inhabitants town pride. Towns further developed in terms of social segmentation

within the new class of the bourgeois. The trading phenomenon that was the economic success at the time

had fostered mercantile activity, which then inevitably led to the creation of guilds9. Indeed these

structures were of great importance to the entire town in terms of social structure and thus provided means

and motive for subsequent development10

. This would have been a direct result of the extent to which

economic gains had become established within society during the Central Middle Ages, thus demonstratinga development within towns which evolved from social and economic interaction.

It is evident that the creation and expansion of urban dwellings was driven by a myriad of forces. These

forces were simultaneous in their influence regarding the development of towns throughout the eleventh to

thirteenth centuries. Such interaction is evident as while an initial religious focus prompted the formation of

collective dwellings, it was contested by a rise in economic pursuits, which did not necessarily comply with

the notions and social attitudes fostered by the church, despite its essential role in the growth of urban

centres. Furthermore, the subsequent social climate that occurred provided its own stimulus for further

developments to take place within towns. The subsequent physical expansion of towns cannot be disputed.

Topographical evidence, such as the concentric wall structures of many medieval towns, including London,attests to the large expansions within the Central Middle Ages

11. However, it is the way these three forces

6Pirenne, Henri,Medieval Cities: Their Origins and the Revival of Trade (Princeton New Jersey: Princeton

University Press 1974) p 132

7Palliser, D. M., Slater, T.R. and Dennison ,E. Patricia, The topography of towns in 600 1300 in D. M

Palliser, The Cambridge Urban History of Britain Vol. 1 6001540 (Cambridge: Cambridge University

Press 2000, Cambridge Histories Online) p 162

8Pirenne, Henri,Medieval Cities: Their Origins and the Revival of Trade (Princeton New Jersey: PrincetonUniversity Press 1974) p 131

9Rrig, Fritz, The Medieval Town (London: B.T. Batsford Ltd ,1967) p 20.

10Rrig, Fritz, The Medieval Town p 20.

11Barley, M. W., Town defences in England and Wales after1066, in M. W. Barley, ed., The Plans and

Topography of Medieval Towns in England and Wales (CBA Res. Rep., 1976), p. 68.

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manifested themselves in urban growth that demonstrates that the development of towns was a complex

and ongoing phenomenon. Therefore, it can be attested that the progress that towns experienced can be

attributed initially to religious and economic forces, and then subsequently further attributed to socialinfluences, all of which ultimately enabled these urban areas to flourish throughout the Central Middle

Ages.