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Commerce and trade in Middle Ages Europe
Commerce in the middle ages
Commerce and trade in Middle Ages Europe
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Black pepper, the “King of Spices” was the first driver of historical globalization, according to Yale professor Paul Freedman (2003). Black pepper, in the Middle Ages, was found all around Europe, and were often traded in place of a standard currency (Haggerty A., 2011). Paralleled to today, the origins and production of spices were much a mystery; coming from far off lands and picked by mysterious means (Singletary K., 2010). Europeans in the middle ages believed the burnt appearance of black pepper was attributed to a harvesting method that involved burning down trees to prevent serpent guardians from poisoning the pickers (Singletary K., 2010). The exotic nature and scarcity of spices in medieval Europe were signs of wealth, and thought
The sale of food products in the market of Tlatelolco with its various colors, shapes, smells, and sounds “unified Native American cuisines while preserving rich regional variations; [epitomized] the social relationships that depended on the feeding of gods and people; and [preserved] the cultural significance of taste for pre-Columbian cooking and eating” (9-10). Cuisine played an important part in the constructing of social hierarchies in Mesoamerica, and to this day continues to shape individuality not only in Mexico, but also for every country. Traditional forms of Mesoamerican cooking mainly belonged to women, and three simple utensils including a cazuela, a metate, and a comal, allowed them to frugally make delicious tortillas. But they “derived much of their self-worth from skill at the metate, the ability to grind maize so they could feed tortillas and tamales to their husbands and children,” (14-15). This single crop has permitted for these lower-class women to preserve and refine the pre-Columbian cuisine of tortillas and tamales. Mexicans have always been and still are a people of corn, in spite of numerous attempts to change this, partly in thanks to the female
Have you ever wondered what people ate in the Elizabethan Era? The Elizabethan Era had foods that are in common with foods that we ate today, but there are a few different types of foods that they ate then that we don't eat now. This paper will tell readers the things that the Elizabethan Era ate, and their different eating times.
...g. The tying together each small item to the events of world history symbolizes how the overarching theme of globalization involves many different aspects. Samuel Champlain’s excursion which could’ve been seen as complete accident actually helped establish a very profitable fur trade between North America. Chinese porcelain and its high demand introduced the world to the wonders of China as well as the rest of the world to China. Tobacco became a popular commodity of trade and was exported globally. Along with discoveries of routes, goods, and beliefs, and other things, the movement of people was, and still is, the most vital part of globalization. Without it, history wouldn’t be the same.
Clifford R. Backman, The Cultures of the West: A History. Volume 1: To 1750. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
In the time of Europe many difficulties came across. The trade to the new word became a trade boom in the 15th century. There was import demand on the companies and the rising export supply became too much for the natives to handle. In the rise of exports the supplies had to be shipped from Asia to the Americans. In the American land, where the majority of Europeans desired to sail to, the new sailors that came were not accepted as Americans, though none were truly considered Americans until later in the time of America. “The sea trade had multiplied by leaps and bounds” (Hale, John R.513). The route of trade was soon taken by Spain and some of the ships were entering to the new world. There was a demand for food in Europe at the time of Columbus and the main sea route for trade was between the North Sea and the Mediterranean. As the trade increased, Europe began to receive products including, pepper, this gave Europe the better of a chance to sail to the new world. The trade in Europe made Europeans richer in the sense of knowledge and began to bring Europeans to a different level of communication with the other lands.
One of the main reasons that Europeans were so successful in increasing their numbers in the New World was their ability to distribute and grow native plants in areas where they previously had been unknown (Crosby, 66). Also, many Europeans made large profits from cultivating native plants such as tobacco, cocoa, paprika, American cotton, and sassafras (Crosby, 66). Despite these successes with native plants, true ecological effects of European expansion on the New World during the age of discovery is not revealed unless focus is placed on the large numbers of non native plants that were introduced by European explorers and settlers. The subsequent introduction of European plants brought an end to the unique plant cultures that had existed for thousands of years prior to the discovery of the New World.
During the time period 1450 to 1750, the world went through major change and development. Nomadic power declined, and European Kingdoms became world powers. A world trade network was set up as contact amongst nations increased immensely. A population boom occurred throughout the world. Many civilizations that were once isolated were brought into the world economy. The Americas unknown until Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1492 became a major part of the world economy as many European nations colonized much of the land. Large sea trade arose during this time period first by the Portuguese and Spanish and later by the English, French and Dutch. As European countries began exploring the Americas, an exchange of crops, animals, raw materials, diseases and new ideas were exchanged between the Americas and the rest of the world. This is known as the Columbian Exchange. One major component of the Columbian Exchange was the discovery of tobacco. Tobacco was first discovered in the Americas and became as cash crop. It was imported back to Europe, where it became vastly popular. As many middle class Europeans people began smoking, the demand for more tobacco from the Americas increased; colonies were set up to produce tobacco. With the demand for tobacco so high, labor was needed to farm the crop causing slaves to be imported.
Coffin, Judith G., and Robert C. Stacey. "CHAPTER 18 PAGES 668-669." Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 16TH ed. Vol. 2. New York, NY: W. W. Norton &, 2008. N. pag. Print.
WAS THE TIME PERIOD BETWEEN 400 AD AND 1400 AD A “DARK AGE” FOR EUROPE?
Medieval Food Food is something that all people have always and will always need to consume in order to survive and thrive. Not only this, but it is also has an important societal function. Food is an important part of celebrations and sometimes dictates roles in societies. In Medieval society food was important for banquets, what was eaten by a person could denote what class a person was from, and was often mentioned in the literature. For my project I presented desserts, bread, and a couple of drinks.
Some of the most brilliant minds have made many unorthodox suggestions. This is the case with Sidney Mintz’s thesis in Sweetness and Power: The Place of Modern History. Mintz’s suggestions that industrial capitalism originated in the Caribbean sugar plantations may seem to contradict the European version of world history fed to most of the Western world, but is nevertheless supported by substantial evidence. In general, Western education has conditioned students to believe that everything productive originated in Europe.
Detroit: Gale, 2003. 506-508. World History in Context. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.Fetter, Bruce. Fetter Bruce. ”Disease and Pestilence." History of World Trade Since 1450. Ed.
Nunn, Nathan, and Nancy Qian. "The Columbian Exchange: A History of Disease, Food, and Ideas." Journal of Economic Perspectives. Yale University, 2010. Web. 12 Oct. 2013. .
Food during the medieval times was very different from the modern-day food that most people are accustomed to today. For example, drinking alcoholic beverages was as routine as drinking water today. Also, food was not only used to nourish yourself, food served as a measure of wealth and social status. Food with lots of herbs and spices was an indicator of affluence serving as a symbol, because the rich could afford herbs and spices. However, herbs and spices were not only used to determine social status, they had another very important use. Medicine during the medieval ages relied heavily on various types of foods such as but not limited to herbs and spices. These three aspects of food during the medieval ages exemplify the major aspects which
Chocolate has been a staple for societies in dozens of countries for centuries. The existence of chocolate can be traced back to the cacao bean utilized by the Olmec Indians. Chocolate went on a journey from pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, to Spain and the rest of Europe and eventually New World America. Although there is a countless amount of scholarship regarding chocolate, the research of Wilson, Dillinger (along with her associates), Lippi, Terrio and Norton have critical information pertaining to the topic of chocolate in Western Europe during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. All sources, with the exception of one of Norton’s sources, formulate a consensus from their research, that chocolate in Western Europe served multiple purposes