Period 5 Team 1

John Farnworth

Fedor Kossakovski

Charles Salumbides

Justin Cornford

Medieval Synthesis Question # 2

2. During the medieval period, the economic system that was used was feudalism. Feudalism was the holding of land in exchange for service or labor. However, as well as this creating a distinct landowner and peasant division, it also expanded and refined the roles of tradesmen. Tradesmen were men who mastered a craft which they then sold at markets. Tradesmen also had apprentices, or aids who learned the craft usually in exchange for lodging or food. Tradesmen’s roles were expanded because, since most of the common people spent their time toiling in the fields, they had no time to create these goods for themselves, so therefore the trades men had to create them for them. Tradesmen became so important, because the people relied on them to receive that certain good or service, that they eventually influenced the aristocracy and rocked its foundation. Many of these craftsmen became very wealthy and could essentially buy in to the aristocracy, or could influence their decisions based on their economic power. In terms of society, these tradesmen were generally below the aristocracy, but above merchants and peasants, which meant that they had a much greater influence on the politics of the time. The creation or expansion of tradesmen was depicted in Medieval art because many of these tradesmen created what could be considered works of art themselves, which they infused with the medieval values and styles of that time and place. The crafts that many tradesmen perfected happened to also be artistic, such as wood-carving or glass-blowing, which thus had an artistic impact on the era. During the medieval period, the economic forces at play led to the expansion and refinement of the role that tradesmen played on society.