Towns & Trade
The growth of medieval towns: markets, guilds, the merchant class; how towns won charters of self-governance; the shift from purely rural to partly urban life
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“Could your child explain why medieval towns grew and how the rise of markets and guilds changed the way people lived and worked?”
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- Activity. The growth of medieval towns: markets, guilds, the merchant class; how towns won charters of self-governance; the shift from purely rural to partly urban life
What to notice. Describe how medieval towns were different from villages (markets, walls, guilds, more people) • Explain what a guild was and why it mattered for tradespeople • Describe one way towns changed medieval society (new merchant class, more freedom for townspeople)
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Could your child explain why medieval towns grew and how the rise of markets and guilds changed the way people lived and worked?
The growth of medieval towns: markets, guilds, the merchant class; how towns won charters of self-governance; the shift from purely rural to partly urban life
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Check understanding
- Describe how medieval towns were different from villages (markets, walls, guilds, more people)
- Explain what a guild was and why it mattered for tradespeople
- Describe one way towns changed medieval society (new merchant class, more freedom for townspeople)
“Could your child explain why medieval towns grew and how the rise of markets and guilds changed the way people lived and worked?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- History
- Domain
- Medieval Times
- Age range
- Ages 9–11