Description
Book SynopsisThis exciting new collection of documents from across Europe gives a fresh perspective and sharp taste of everyday life in a medieval town. The sources range from the standard chronicles and charters to the less often viewed accounts of marriage disputes, urban women, families, the environment, the dangers of town life, and civic ritual. Deliberately wide-ranging, these sources acknowledge the contributions of other disciplines—such as archaeology, architecture, demography, law, and environmental studies—to our understanding of urban life in the Middle Ages. Towns from Spain to Germany to Russia are covered, while the focus is on the more urbanized regions of medieval Europe, particularly Italy, the Low Countries, France, and England. In all, 150 primary sources are included, 35 of which are translated for this volume from Latin, Old French, Anglo-Norman, Franco-Venetian, medieval Danish, and other languages.
Trade ReviewIf you teach a course on medieval towns, you will want to assign it. If you have students interested in projects connected with medieval cities, you will want to recommend it. And if you simply want to learn more about the lives of townspeople in the Middle Ages, you will want to pick it up and browse through it. But be forewarned; once you start reading, you may find that the range and vitality of the material in this volume makes it difficult to put down. -- The Medieval Review
Table of ContentsChronological Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures List of Maps Introduction I. The Early Middle Ages 1. The Grandeur of Rome 2. The Roman Baths 3. The Humble Townspeople: Graffiti and Election Notices on the Walls of Pompeii 4. The Impact of the "Barbarian Invasions" on Fifth-Century Towns 5. Gregory of Tours's Ode to Dijon in the Sixth Century 6. Toll Exemptions in French Towns 7. The Raids of the Northmen 8. The Magyar Raids 9. The Creation of Bruges 10. Otto I Grants a Market in Bremen to the Archbishop of Hamburg, 965 11. The Origins of the Saxon Towns 12. The Customs and Rents of Hereford According to Domesday Book, 1086 13. Grant of Privileges to the Castilians, Mozarabs, and Franks of Toledo, 1086-1118 14. German Colonization in the East 15. Archaeological Excavations in Tenth-Century York II. Communes, Government, and External Relations 16. The People of Cologne Rebel Against Their Archbishop, 1074 17. The Formation of a Commune at Laon, 1116 18. The Customs of Lorris, 1155 19. The Lombard Communes As Viewed by a German Bishop 20. Royal Charters Granted to Dublin, 1192-1229 21. L beck Is Made an Imperial City, 1226 22. The German Emperor Annuls All City Charters, 1231-32 23. Election of the Podest , Consuls, and Officials of Volterra, 1224 24. The Magnates and the Rise of the Popolo and Guilds in Florence, 1207-1328 25. The Greater versus the Lesser Citizens in Bristol, 1316 26. "Mother" Towns: Breslau Adopts the Charter of Magdeburg, 1261 27. "Daughter" Towns: The Citizens of Culm Seek Advice from the City Rulers of Magdeburg, 1338 28. Brunswick Extends Civic Rule to Its Suburbs, 1269 29. Florence Expands Its Contado, 1202-89 30. The Struggle between the Guelfs and Ghibellines 31. The Establishment of the Rhine League and of Its Peace, 1254 32. Decrees of the Hanseatic League, 1260-64 33. The Cinque Ports Confederation 34. Parliamentary Summons to English Boroughs, 1295 35. The Pope and City Politics in Siena, Fifteenth Century III. Urban Society and Social Conflict 36. Charter to the Non-Noble Knights of Burgos, 1256 37. Tower Fellowships and Factionalism in Florence 38. Factionalism and the Concerns of an Exile, 1312 39. Commercial Status, Wealth, and Political Office in Medieval Exeter 40. The Political Fortunes of a Florentine Merchant 41. The Distribution of Wealth in Two Towns 42. A Bondman Seeks Refuge in an English Town, 1237-38 43. Grievances of the Common Folk of Dublin, 1316-18 44. A Day in the Life of a Carpenter 45. A Londoner's Household Goods, 1337 46. Domestic Slaves 47. The Revolt of the Commons in London, 1194 48. The Risings in Ghent and Bruges Against the Patricians, 1301-02 49. The Demands of the Ciompi in Florence, 1378 IV. The Urban Economy 50. Market Regulations in Muslim Seville 51. The Champagne Fair Towns 52. Tolls at Southampton, c.1300 53. Regulations on the Sale of Meat and Fish in Beverley, 1365-1409 54. Shopping in the London Markets 55. Letter from the Genoa Branch to the Home Office of the Datini Company, 1393 56. Restoring Prosperity to the Port Town of Bordeaux, c.1465 57. Regulation of Trade by a Merchant Guild, 1257-73 58. Craft Guild Regulations: The Shearers of Arras, 1236 59. Regulations of the Guild of Skinners in Copenhagen 60. Guild Apprenticeships 61. Dispute Between the Master Saddlers of London and Their Journeymen, 1396 62. The Bakers of Coventry Strike, 1484 63. Guild Rivalry in Florence, 1425 V. Urban Finance, Jurisdictions, and Justice 64. Accounts of the City of Siena 65. The Town Accounts of Leicester, 1377-78 66. Tax Declarations in Florence for the Catasto of 1427 67. Winchester Pleads for Tax Relief because of Urban Decline, 1452 68. The Jurisdiction of the Wardmotes of London 69. Proceedings in the Courts of Nottingham, 1395-96 70. The Cost of Recovering a Debt in Marseille, 1331 71. Feud and Vendetta: The Private Pursuit of Justice in Pistoia 72. Urban Punishments 73. The Dublin Prison, 1486 VI. Marriage and Family 74. The Del Bene Marriage Negotiations in Florence, 1381 75. Marriage in the Merchant Class 76. Contracting Marriage in York and Paris 77. Women, Family Relations, and Inheritance in Aragon 78. Women, Family Relations, and Inheritance in Magdeburg and Breslau 79. Wives at the Tavern 80. Childhood Deaths in London 81. Family and Household in Manosque, 1418-26 82. A Comfortable Retirement for the Wealthy 83. Caring for the Aged in Medieval Exeter 84. Family and Households: A Demographic Perspective VII. Women 85. Proper Behavior for a Young Townswoman 86. Women and Gossip 87. Women and Fashion 88. Singlewomen in Coventry, 1492-95 89. Women in the Parisian Craft Guilds, c.1270 90. Limits on Employing Women as Weavers in Bristol, 1461 91. Advice on Hiring Maidservants, c.1393 92. Female Servants and Prostitution VIII. Religion, Piety, and Charity 93. The Bishop of Speyer Gives the Jews of the City a Charter, 1084 94. Restrictions on Jewish Communities in English Towns 95. Persecution of the Jews in Strasbourg and German Towns, 1349 96. Problems among the Clergy of Rouen Cathedral, 1248 97. The Beguines of Ghent, 1328 98. The Good Canon of Cologne 99. A Popular Franciscan Preacher in Paris, 1429 100. Lay Piety and Reform: Peter Waldo of Lyons 101. The Processions of the Flagellants, 1349 102. The Religious Fraternity of St. Katharine at Norwich, 1389 103. The Accounts of the Churchwardens in Canterbury, 1485-86 104. Religion, Morality, and Politics: Savonarola's Influence over the Florentines 105. A Maison-Dieu in Pontoise, c.1265 106. The Distribution of Alms in Florence, 1356 107. Charitable Bequests in Siena, 1300-25 IX. Education 108. The Cost of Schooling, 1394-95 109. Niccolo Machiavelli as a Young Student 110. Privileges Granted to Masters and Students at the University of Paris 111. Town/Gown Controversies in Oxford and Paris 112. A Student Riot at Oxford, 1388-89 113. Wooing Masters and Students from Paris to the New University of Toulouse, 1229 114. Contract between the Town of Vercelli and the Students at Padua, c.1228 115. The Foundation of the University of Heidelberg, 1386 116. A Scholar in Paris X. Entertainment and Civic Ritual 117. Sports in London 118. The Start of the Secular Stage, Exeter, 1348 119. Order of the Pageants of the Corpus Christi Plays in York, 1415 120. Trouble Behind the Scenes in York, 1420 121. Feast and Festival in Venice 122. The Feast Day of St. John the Baptist in Florence 123. A Wake in Oxford, 1306 124. Processions for Peace in Paris, 1412 125. Mayoral Elections in England XI. The Dangers of Urban Life 126. Fires in Novgorod 127. Famine Mortality in Bruges and Ypres, 1316 128. Discrimination Against the Poor in Siena During the Famine of 1329 129. The Black Death in Florence, 1348 130. The Plague in Edinburgh, 1498-99 131. The Urban Militia of a Spanish Frontier Town: Cuenca, 1190 132. Parma at War 133. The Siege of Calais, 1346-47 134. Crime Prevention in London 135. Criminal Courts and Punishment in Marseille, 1406-07 136. The Road to Ruin in Dijon, 1492 XII. The Urban Environment 137. Air Pollution in Southwark, 1307 138. Regulations for London's Streets, 1297 139. Garbage Removal in English Towns, 1385 140. The Water Supply of Dublin 141. The Sounds of the City: Bells, Horns, and Town Criers 142. London Bridge, 1404 143. The Town Rents of Edinburgh, 1457 144. Building Regulations in London, 1189 145. The Rise and Fall of Urban Towers in Italian Towns 146. Building Contracts for a Tavern and House, 1342 147. A Merchant's House in King's Lynn 148. Clothing and Head-gear 149. Medieval Fast Food 150. Meat Consumption XIII. The Idealized City 151. A Description of London, c.1173 152. In Praise of Milan's Townscape, 1288 153. The Evils of the Big City Maps Index of Topics Index of Towns Index of Town Officials Sources
