Manorial Trade Network, the Indian Ocean Trade Network, and the Trans-Saharan Trade Network

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Comparing and Contrasting the Manorial Trade Network, the Indian Ocean Trade Network, and the Trans-Saharan Trade Network

The creation of a strong and productive society depends on a stable economy. The development of extensive trade relations in Africa, Europe, and Asia, was necessary for the existence of the highly advanced civilizations that exist today. The Trans-Saharan trade, Indian Ocean trade, and manorial trade of Europe in the middle ages were major trading networks that flourished. The Trans-Saharan trade network connected the Mediterranean countries and Northern African countries with Sub-Saharan Africa. The Indian Ocean Trade network stretched from Eastern Africa to China, India, Persia, and other Asian countries. Manorial trade was based on the relationship between land-owning lords and the peasants who farmed their land during the medieval period. Manorial trade differed from the Indian Ocean trade and Trans-Saharan trade in regard to the effects of trade on society, the types of materials traded, role of serfs/ slaves in the trading system, and the participating countries. Manorial trade was local and domestic while the Trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean Trade was international.

The results of commerce on society were similar in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In Europe the manors began to focus on specific trades. For example, one manor would focus mainly on growing crops while a neighboring manor might focus on producing fabrics or wooden or metal products. The manors traded jobs instead of materials. So, the lord who grew crops would give the blacksmith crops in exchange for repairing his iron fence. The lord offered his manor’s tenants protection in exchange for their labor. This effect of the manorial trade network...

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...ived by the masters were often freed.

Trading is an important part of international relations and greatly impacts history. The success of trade depends on the ability to transport resources to communities or countries, which lack that resource in exchange for currency or a different product that the trading partner offers. This cycle is crucial to a nation’s survival. Manors were relatively self-sufficient, so they had less desire to trade with distant communities. If they had traded there could have been many positive changes in the society. These positive outcomes were in the Indian Ocean and African trading networks which were very similar to one another. Without trading the advancements that have been made would not have been possible. Would history have been the same without trading? Trade is a necessary part of our world and will always be very important.

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