Champagne Fair In Medieval Europe

The first of the three themes stated by Abu- Lughod is the European Subsystem and how it plays a roll in the world system. Three topics emerge from this theme: Cities of the Champagne Fairs (51), Bruges and Ghent (commercial and industrial cities of Flanders) (78), and the merchant mariners of Genoa and Venice (102). First, Champagne fairs. Champagne fairs were an annual cycle of trading fairs held in towns within the Champagne region. The Champagne region is northeast of France, lying between the boundaries of Paris and Belgium, not excluding contemporary North Africa. Champagne fairs played a primary role in rekindling medieval Europe’s economy. They served as a primary market for selling and trading, textiles, fur, leather, and other cultural

Sad to say their biggest ally was also their biggest pitfall. Textile towns such as these were heavily reliant on foreign capital, which, according to history, is a slippery slope when the industry is constantly changing. Once the Italians left, along with their capital, one can see a rapid decline in the production of textile towns. The third and last topic discussed within the subtheme is the merchant mariners of Genoa and Venice (102). These two city-states played a significant role in connecting Europe into the medieval world system. These two cities battled it out for centuries (On and off from 1256 to 1381) to gain control of the Mediterranean Sea lanes. Venice ended up taking complete control of the Mediterranean Sea lanes and was pivotal in reopening the Mediterranean economy to the West European commerce as well as developing links with Northern Europe. This gave them the opportunity to have a foundation for commercial capitalism, and because most of Venice (and Genoa) was shippers there were colossal progressions in shipping technology. Their new found shipping technology aided Asia and Egypt in their efforts to progress the technology in cane sugar production and processing, textiles, glassblowing and jewelry to the

Abu Lughod devotes a lot of attention to the Mongols (and the Northeast Passage) (153), Sindbad’s Way (Baghdad and the Persian Gulf) (185), and Cairo’s Monopoly under the Slave Sultanate (212). The Mongols contributed to the World System and served as crucial evidence for the case that Central Asia, at least for a moment, was truly “central” to world history. The Mongols were a key player in linking Europe and Asia and served as the middleman between the East and West. The Mongols encouraged travel in a large section of Asia that was under their rule. For the first time they allowed European merchants and craftsmen to journey as far as China for the first time. Asian goods reached Europe via trade and the rising European demand for these products is what inspired a sea route to Asia. A primary reason for Europe having it’s “Age of Exploration” in the 15th century. Abu-Lughod discusses how unstable the Mongol State was. The main reason being because the Mongol state depended on the production of the oppressed and constantly needed to conquer new people and territories. The Mongolian economy was based on two things; the subject peoples and the ability to tax on the trade going through their zones of control. The next subsection theme was the relationship between Baghdad and the Persian Gulf. Abu- Lughod argues that before the West was able to rise, the East had to fall. As the Portuguese, Dutch, and later the British