Urban Life of Medieval Societies

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the urban life during the middle ages. It covers the main differences in the urban life of members of two different social classes, the merchant class and the noble class.

From the Paper:

"The middle ages were not only about knighthood and chivalry. That was only one aspect. There was also a thriving trade, where merchants and businessmen made livings on the flourishing trade routes through many large cities all throughout Europe. In the diaries of Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati, we are able to peer into what it must have been like to live in urban medieval Europe. Each man had a different approach to how they made a living, and it is interesting to see how an urban person not of noble blood was able to make a decently good life for himself. Pitti made his way through gambling, selling wool, and performing favors for people in high places, among other things. Dati was a true businessman, venturing into many business operations and succeeding most of the time. From the businesses they undertook to the way the led their everyday life, the accounts of these men's lives are very similar in many ways to the life of William Marshal. Basically the only difference between these two social classes is the occupations of the members of each social class."

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