What is the biggest difference between medieval city and country life in Europe?

The cities of the Middle Ages in Europe developed on the basis of the countryside.

Rural Europe was a manor economy, and the peasants were completely dependent on the manor owners; Some of the peasants fled to the cities, became freedmen, became city citizens.

Cities eventually gained autonomous status, so they were called city-states. The city paid a certain amount of money and goods to the feudal lord every year, and had the right to declare war on other city-states, but could not declare its independence from the feudal lord.

In the countryside there was a struggle between the peasants and the owners of the estates, in the cities there was a struggle between the various classes within the city, between craftsmen and merchants, between craftsmen and guilds, between ordinary citizens and merchants, and so on.

If there is one big difference in life, it should be that the city is full of garbage, infectious diseases are rampant and unhygienic, and the rural area is sparsely populated and the environment is much better.

Rental farms have emerged in the countryside and handicraft workshops in the cities

After the middle of the 14th century, the lords also relied on land rent to live, no longer involved in production management, some wealthy farmers through renting, buying the lord's land, or subletting, buying the property of other tenant farmers and other ways to concentrate the land, the establishment of leased farms, leased farms are a new form of production organization in the European countryside, in the 13th century, scattered manual workshops appeared in the countryside, and later, this scattered manual workshops gradually turned to centralized manual workshops.

Workshop by hand:

The handicraft workshop is a basic form of labor socialization in the early stage of the development of capitalist production, and its emergence marks the emergence of the germ of capitalism.

Workshop handicraft industry is based on manual technology and the division of labor of hired workers on the basis of capitalist large-scale production, it is the preparatory stage for the transition of handicraft production to capitalist machine industry, compared with handicraft workshops, not only in the scale of production, technical division of labor progress, the key is that handicraft workshops are already capitalist nature of production organization form, which is the essential difference from handicraft workshops.

Handicraft workshops in China appeared around the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, with the emergence of capitalism, mainly in the textile industry in the southern regions.

characteristics of medieval European cities;

That. 1. In a geographical sense, Western European cities are places where business people live. At the same time, the city in Western Europe is also a social concept, a kind of social community, and the citizens of the city form a class of citizens.

That. 2. The medieval cities of Western Europe were first developed as economic centers, mainly industrial and commercial centers, and only then developed political, cultural, and military functions, and some cities did not even have political functions.

That. 3. In Western Europe, politically the countryside ruled the cities, the feudal lords living in the castles ruled the cities, and economically the cities exploited the countryside, and the cities exploited the rural inhabitants through commerce and usury.

That. Fourth, in Western Europe, cities have autonomy and enjoy many privileges. This autonomy is the result of the struggle of the citizens. Cities in the Middle Ages arose on the territory of ecclesiastical or secular feudal lords, who were the owners of the cities.

The administrative and judicial power of the city was in the hands of the lord, who ruled the city. He levied taxes on the city's inhabitants, forced them to take labor and skillful dust, and extorted all sorts of money, sometimes even to the point of openly robbing the citizens' property. So, in the 11th-12th centuries.

The struggle against the feudal lords and for the autonomy of the cities was widespread in the cities.

Some of the more affluent cities often gained autonomy through redemption, but many cities relied on armed struggle to gain varying degrees of independence and autonomy. Such as Lang City, Cambrai, Amiens and so on in France. Venice, Genoa, Florence, and Milan in Italy not only gained autonomy, but also controlled the countryside on the outskirts of the city, eventually developing into independent urban republics.

Some of Germany's "imperial cities" also had full autonomy. The mayor, judges, and city councils of the autonomous city are elected by the citizens, and the city council has the power to command the army, issue currency, and supervise guilds.

That. Fifth, the cities of Western Europe are smaller.

The historical conditions for the formation of medieval cities in Europe mainly include three main aspects: economic, political and social conditions. Economic conditions:

An important reason for the formation of cities in the Middle Ages was the improvement of agricultural production techniques, which allowed farmers to produce more agricultural products. This has led to the creation of agricultural surpluses, which can be used for urban development and **. In addition, the city became a center of handicrafts and commerce, attracting artisans and merchants.

Political conditions: In the Middle Ages, feudalism gradually took shape, with monarchs and nobles having land infiltration and power. Under this system, cities become special places and enjoy a certain degree of autonomy.

Monarchs and aristocrats often granted privileges to cities to attract people to live and do business in them. Social conditions: Cities offer a relatively free and open environment that attracts people to escape rural life.

Early Middle Ages: Urban, **, and cultural decline; The king is weak, and the feudal nobility is strong; social contract relations; A unique lord's way of life.

In the middle and late Middle Ages, cities were gathering places for businessmen and industrialists, and the rise of cities developed as economic centers, and some cities did not even have political centers; population growth, urban rejuvenation; Politically, the countryside rules the city, the urban residents enjoy the right to vote and the right to supervise, and the lord is the owner of the city and enjoys the right of self-government; The knightly system, the church system deserves laughter. The power of the church in the Middle Ages can be said to have reached a very strong state.

The city is also very religious. The city's roads, public buildings and architectural styles have taken on their distinctive character.

Early Middle Ages: Urban, **, and cultural decline; The king commanded the weak, the feudal nobles and the strong clans; social contract relations; A unique lord's way of life.

Mid-to-late Middle Ages: Cities were gathering places for businessmen and industrialists, and the rise of cities was developed as economic centers, and some cities did not even have political centers; population growth, urban rejuvenation; Politically, Hengsha refers to the rule of the countryside over the city, the urban residents enjoy the right to vote and the right to supervise, and the lord is the owner of the city and enjoys the right of self-government; Chivalry, ecclesiastical system. The power of the church in the Middle Ages can be said to have reached a very strong state.

The city is also very religious. The city's roads, public buildings and architectural styles have taken on their distinctive character.

The typical pattern of medieval European cities can be roughly summarized as follows: the city was surrounded by city walls, which were closely packed with stone buildings and small streets. Beyond the city walls, there are farmland, gardens and meadows.

Specifically, typical features of medieval European cities include:

1.Narrow streets and small squares: The streets inside the city are narrow, and most people need to move on foot due to the lack of transportation. As a result, the roads and squares within the city are relatively small.

2.Square and main church: There is usually a square and a main church in the center of the city, which is the core area of the city's social and religious gatherings.

3.City Walls and Gates: To protect the city from hostile forces, there is often a wall around the city, and there are gates to control the entry and exit of the city.

4.Specialized neighborhoods: Craftsmen and vendors from all walks of life gather in specific neighborhoods, forming specialized neighborhoods such as blacksmiths, shoemakers, bakers, tanners, spice merchants, etc.

5.Key buildings: There may also be other important buildings in the city, such as town halls, prisons, public baths, palaces, clock towers, etc.

These features make up the typical pattern of medieval European cities.