In the Medieval period, many were prompted by the Crusades, or massive Christian military expeditions against Muslims, to travel to foreign lands; some became merchants and were able to perform trades with exotic goods. The Crusades was the most important factor in the expansion of trade and commerce in Europe because of the vast number of opportunities that it opened up for the tradesmen. New trade routes through Italy were made available, allowing the Medieval merchants to trade in luxuries such as spices, raw materials, cloth, and jewels. This novelty trade elevated the merchants’ level in society because the business was extremely profitable. In addition to the Crusades, numerous inventions of this time, which reflected the growing scientific advances of the era, also assisted the tradesmen’s careers because many of these innovations were nautical tools such as compasses and oars that aided in trade and exploration.
When Medieval tradesmen return to their homes, they are given myriad opportunities to sell in shops, markets, and Medieval fairs. Medieval fairs assembled buyers and sellers with intent to trade, mostly at public gatherings that gathered widely scattered populations and were therefore useful for creating opportunities of commerce. These fairs were particularly effective because they contained entertainment, which helped increased publicity and attracted more customers. The popularity of these fairs can be shown in Medieval art, such as the painting A Flemish Village Festival by David Vinckboons. This painting includes many aspects of the Medieval Fairs, including the various booths (the clothing booth in the middle of the image) in which the trade and commerce occurred, and the revelry and entertainment that took place in order to draw the customer’s attention.
The merchants were also successful in retaining their position in society as they formed an alliance—the Medical Merchant Guilds. These guilds controlled the trade method in the towns and set regulations on the trade business. The members of these Merchant Guilds played an increasingly integral part of Medieval town community, for they have their own involvement in civic duties.
- Daphne Chiao, Sophia Liu, Han Chou, Michelle Ozaki (P3, T4)
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ReplyDeleteThe opening sentence of the synthesis question response if very informative, but it is a bit lengthy and could probably split into two sentences. The connection between the Crusades and trade expansion is a nice inclusion as it helps bond the idea that the merchant’s level in society is directly related to events of the medieval period. The introduction of information in the response is very well ordered. The way that the response introduced the art as a reflection of the customs of fairs was a very clever way to respond to the prompt. However, the painting could have been described more, or there could have been a stronger connection to how the painting represents the medieval period. The third paragraph seems slightly disconnected from the rest of the response, and might be better fit to go after the first paragraph.
Overall, the synthesis question response is informative, and contains nice key points. The one minor correction would be to fix the grammar in certain areas. Upon reading this team’s response there is a good connection between the merchants, the medieval period, and the art that represents the time period.