Lesson 10: The rise of the medieval city and university

Free and autonomous cities

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, for more than 400 years, agriculture, industry and commerce in Western Europe generally declined, and many cities of the Roman era were reduced to ruins. From the 10th century onwards, Western Europe began to recover, agricultural technology improved, agricultural surplus increased, commerce and trade developed, population grew, old cities began to recover and new cities were created. Those cities that were centered on crafts and commerce grew even faster. Many famous cities emerged in Italy, France, England, Germany, etc.

Since the cities were usually located in the territories of feudal lords, the lords controlled the cities as if they were manors and imposed arbitrary taxes on the inhabitants of the cities, even requiring them to fulfill their obligations like tenant farmers. The city dwellers resisted in various ways to fight for the freedom and autonomy of the city, often by means of monetary ransom and forceful struggle.

By the 13th century, many cities achieved a degree of freedom and privilege and became free cities. In such cities, citizens were free men and enjoyed property rights, and lords were not allowed to illegally deprive citizens of their property or to tax them arbitrarily. Some cities also acquired the right to elect mayors and municipal officials and to establish city courts, making them autonomous cities. The freedom and autonomy of the city was obtained in the form of a certificate from the king or lord, which was called a "charter". By granting charters to the cities in the feudal domains, the king weakened the secessionist power and gained the support of the cities. Of course, the free and self-governing cities were not completely free from the control of kings and lords. The urban nobles were also generally supporters of the king.

The identity of the city's inhabitants

Craftsmen and merchants were the basic inhabitants of the cities, usually transformed from peasants in the surrounding countryside. Many of them were serfs before entering the city, and once they entered the city, it meant that they enjoyed certain rights of freedom, because the city was an area with certain privileges. At that time, when a serf lived in a free city for one year and one day, he acquired the status of citizen and henceforth enjoyed freedom, and the lord had no right to force him to become a serf again. As more cities gained freedom, more and more city dwellers became free, and, moreover, urban commerce and industry provided more opportunities for people to develop. As a result, more and more serfs escaped from the estates and entered the cities, contributing to their growth.

The artisans were mainly engaged in the production of small goods, owned simple means of production, worked for themselves and their families, and supported themselves by selling their products in exchange for other necessities. The family served as both a workshop and a store for production. Merchants specialized in commerce and trade and were usually richer than craftsmen.

With the development of cities and the prosperity of industry and commerce, a class of citizens gradually formed. Urban craftsmen and merchants continued to differentiate, and wealthy large craft workshop owners, merchants and bankers emerged, who became the early bourgeoisie.

The rise of universities

After the 11th century, with the economic development, many Greek and Roman classical works began to spread in Western Europe, and Arab culture was also introduced to Western Europe. 12th century, education and academics in Western Europe emerged in a new era, and the rise of universities was regarded as the "most beautiful flowering" of medieval education in Europe.

In the 12th century, there were many parochial schools and private schools run by teachers in Paris. Private teachers' schools also required a license from the Church to teach. In the 13th century, the teachers' guilds in Paris were supported by the Pope and the King, and their autonomy was guaranteed. The autonomy of the university was mainly reflected in the privileges of tax exemption, judicial privileges, and educational autonomy. The king wanted the university to be the educational and cultural center of his country and generally respected the autonomy of the university. The Pope supported the universities, but did not allow heretical statements. The university has considerable autonomy in its daily teaching and administration, provided that it does not violate orthodox doctrine. Judicial privilege means that university faculty and students are not tried by local secular judges, but must be tried by the local bishop as prescribed by canon law, or independently by the university court.

Medieval students were required to take basic courses in grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. After that, they entered the professional courses, which included law, medicine and theology. The curriculum was still influenced by the Christian Church on the one hand, and reflected the requirements of economic and social development on the other.

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