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The Rise of Commerce in the Middle Ages
The era known as the Middle Ages lasted from about ad. 500 to 1500. It was a time of great chang
age Of great importance in this era was
the rise of commerce Increased trade in the latter half of s
Early in the Middle Ages, people had relied on farming to survive. Most farmers produced barely em
however, soon offered higher yields. With
the crop surplus, some farmers began to market their pro
arisans As a result, a new system of trade
emerged that was much more highly ordered than the p
As trade increased in the towns, merchants formed unions called guides Guilds controlled fair-drade
monitored quality, and protected members from
competitors. Most fluids became powerful. They wen
Another role of the guild was to ensure the proper training of craftsperson. The guild established a sy
as master Aher years of service, the youth became a
day worker or a journeyman for the master. T
present the guild with a masterpiece to prove his skill.
He also had to have enough money to set up
Aside from local commerce, long-distance trade existed within Europe and between Europe and seve
luxury goods such as sugar and gold from Africa,
silk and spices from Asia, and rice and perfume from
goods at large seasonal fairs well attended by
people from all around the region
The rise of commerce in the Middle ages had a lasting impact on society it weakened the feudal syste
centuries. With the growth of commerce and towns,
people of the Middle Ages enjoyed increased prom
foreshadowed the further transformation of the social order in the
modems era
26. The era of great change that marked the transition from an ancient to a modem age was the
OBronze Age
O Middle Ages
O Age of Exploration