And why were fairs organized? History of fairs in Russia. Ancient fairs: from a booth to a cultural center

What contributed to the wide development of trade in the Arab Caliphate and the Byzantine Empire?

What troubles did feudal fragmentation bring to the population of European countries?

Merchant carts 1.

"What fell from the cart is gone." Trade in the Middle Ages was profitable, but very difficult and dangerous business. The space between the settlements was occupied by huge, impenetrable forests, teeming with predators and robbers. The roads were narrow and unpaved, covered with impassable mud. The road was considered good, along which, as they said then, "the bride could pass without hitting the wagon with the dead." Goods that fell to the ground or washed off the ship were considered the booty of the owner of this land. As they said: "What fell from the cart is gone."

For passage through the possessions of feudal lords, for the use of bridges and crossings, many times had to pay fees. And the feudal lords sometimes built bridges in dry places, demanded payment for the dust raised by merchants' carts.

To protect themselves from robbers and help each other, merchants united in trade unions - guilds (from the German word "gille" - a feast). At meetings, members of the guild elected leaders, hired guards, and helped each other out of the common treasury (for example, victims at sea, their families). Members of the guild arranged partnerships among themselves, where they became partners for one or more trading operations.

Expansion of trade relations. The city was the center of trade exchange not only with the surrounding area, but also with other cities, individual lands, with other countries.

Subsistence economy in Europe was preserved. But a commodity economy also gradually developed, in which products were produced for sale on the market and exchanged, including through money.

Venetian galley

The revival of trade required the improvement of roads. The same was required by the military and administrative needs of the state. In some countries, kings ordered that the main roads be paved with stone. Strong bridges were built across the rivers. Heavy loads were no longer carried on the backs of horses, but in wagons. It was cheaper and more convenient to transport goods by rivers and seas. The improvement of sails allowed ships to move with side and even head wind.

Ansean co- iabl

Profitable trade routes to the East (to the ports of Syria and Egypt, the Crimea and the Caucasus) were seized by merchants from the Italian cities of Venice and Genoa. These cities competed and fought with Byzantium and with each other for centuries. Venice and Genoa were independent city-republics, in which power belonged to rich merchants who owned fleets of ships, dozens of houses, warehouses and shops.

In the East, merchants purchased lucrative luxury items and spices for wealthy Europeans. Spices were weighed on pharmaceutical scales and sold in small portions. No wonder in the Middle Ages a very rich man was called a “bag of pepper” in derision.

City gate in Lübeck, which was headed by the northern branch of the Hansa

Important trade routes passed through the North and Baltic Seas - to Eastern Europe. Other goods prevailed here: salt, furs, wool, wax, timber, iron. This trade was occupied by the merchants of the cities and countries of Northern Europe - from Novgorod in Russia to London. The center of northern trade was the city of Bruges with its huge international fair.

In the XIV century, merchants from more than 70 German cities united in the Hansa (“alliance”, “partnership”) to protect their property and oust rivals. Hansa had branches in other countries.

At the fair. Miniature of the 14th century.

In Novgorod, Bruges, London, Bergen and other cities, Hanseatic merchants had well-fortified trading yards - trading posts. In such a courtyard, residential and service premises, barns, warehouses, and a church were erected. Having a large fleet, the Hansa often achieved favorable terms of trade in neighboring countries by force of arms, fought against pirates. Until the end of the 15th century, the Hansa, with its mighty combined fleet (up to 1000 ships), actually dominated the Baltic trade region both economically and politically. 3.

Fairs and banks. The liveliest places of trade in Europe were fairs, in which hundreds of large merchants from different countries took part.

Until the end of the 13th century, the fairs in the county of Champagne in northeastern France were the most famous. They continued almost throughout the year. Then they were replaced by

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The development of crafts and trade in Europe in the XIV century.

Which medieval states had especially many cities and fairs? Guess why. Find the places of the most famous fairs named in the text of the textbook. Which trading cities competed in the Mediterranean? Count how many cities were part of the Hansa. What explains their union? stamp in Bruges. At international fairs, goods were traded both from all over Europe and from the East.

The fairs were noisy and crowded. There were money changers' tables near the merchants' shops. They were engaged in the exchange of money: after all, in each country there were coins of various weights and mintings. Money changers also lent money at high interest rates. So money changers became usurers (their money, as it were, “grew”), with a merchant3 TMiniatyu- From money changers and usurers already in the XIV-pa XV century. XV centuries came the first owners of ban

cov13. Bankers took money for safekeeping, transferred money to merchants from one country to another. Great wealth accumulated in the hands of merchants and bankers. Often they lent large sums to kings and feudal lords. The very first banks arose in northern Italy, in Lombardy (where the word "pawnshop" came from).

Now, along with the main property of the Middle Ages - real estate (land and buildings on it), movable property created in cities (money, goods, ships, etc.) begins to acquire increasing importance. Gradually but steadily, money contributed to the fading subsistence farming, and with it changed the way of life, the motives of people's behavior.

1. Why did the growth of cities lead to the expansion of trade? 2. What were the difficulties and dangers of the merchant's activity in the Middle Ages? 3. What cities controlled the main trade routes in Europe and communications with the East? What was their relationship with each other? Use the map to answer. four.

Tell us about the role of the Hansa in European trade. 5. How and why were fairs organized? Which of them were the most famous? 6. What did money changers, usurers, bankers do? Why did these urban professions emerge?

1. What hindered the development of trade in medieval Europe, and what contributed to it? 2. Imagine that you are a medieval merchant. Tell us about your activities. What joys and difficulties in it will you note first of all? Explain how you feel about your work and why. Argue on behalf of the merchant with the churchmen who claimed that "the trade of the merchant is not pleasing to God." 3. Why did medieval merchants, like artisans, peasants and feudal lords, create their own associations? 4. What character traits did a medieval merchant need to have in order to be successful in his business? Do you think they are needed today by people doing business? 5. The church condemned usurers. She said that moneylenders trade in something that belongs only to God - time. Explain this idea b. The modern word "bankrupt" comes from the Italian "bank rotta", that is, "broken bench". Do your research: check with explanatory dictionary the meaning of the words "bankrupt" and "bankruptcy" and guess how they happened.

Question 1. Why did the growth of cities lead to the expansion of trade?

Answer. The products of artisans could not be eaten, it was required to sell and buy food and products of other artisans with this money - this requires trade. In addition, strong cities began to protect both artisans and merchants. Trade remained dangerous, but the merchant paid less to the feudal lord. Trade became more profitable, because more people began to engage in it.

Question 2. What were the difficulties and dangers of the merchant in the Middle Ages?

Answer. They traveled then in horse-drawn carts on bad roads, which in itself is inconvenient. I had to endure cold and heat, often spend the night under the open sky. But most importantly, each feudal lord had to pay through whose lands the merchant passed. And the lands of the new feudal lord could begin every few kilometers of the way. At any moment, the merchant could be robbed or even killed by robbers or even one of the feudal lords. The merchant could only protect himself from this, relying only on the help of his companions and the support of other merchants of the guild. Not surprisingly, then, traveling by sea was not only faster, but also safer, despite all the dangers of the sea.

Question 3. What cities controlled the main trade routes in Europe and communications with the East? What was their relationship with each other? Use the map to answer.

Answer. Trade routes between West and East passed through the Mediterranean Sea. It was controlled by the cities of Italy, which juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. The most influential in trade were Venice and Genoa. They constantly competed and often even fought with each other precisely because of the influence on this trade.

Question 4. Tell us about the role of the Hansa in European trade.

Answer. The Hansa eventually came to control all trade in the Baltic Sea. They traded not in expensive luxury goods, but in raw materials that had to be transported in large quantities. The Hansa was a very strong and influential alliance. Once she even fought with the kingdom (Denmark), although she herself was not a separate state, and even won.

Question 5. How and why were fairs organized? Which of them were the most famous?

Answer. Fairs were usually held on major holidays. These are essentially markets where both peasants and artisans could sell their products and buy what they needed. Usually there was trade at the local level at the fairs, but merchants from all over Europe came to the most famous ones. The largest fairs were in Champagne, and later in Bruges.

Question 6. What did money changers, usurers, bankers do? Why did these urban professions emerge?

Answer. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, goods were often exchanged for goods. But with the development of trade, they began to change it for money, coins. Many feudal lords and even cities minted their own coins, so there were confusing exchange rates for one coin for another. This is what money changers did: they exchanged the money of visiting merchants for those that were in use in their area. The usurers lent money and then demanded it back along with interest. Banks did both. Banks were large associations of business people, they had branches in different cities and countries. Due to this, they could transfer money from country to country (a person handed over money to a bank and received a receipt, and in another country he gave a banker a receipt and received money - it was safer to travel that way, given how many robbers hunted on the roads). Banks were sometimes so rich that they even lent money to kings and the largest feudal lords.

The formation and development of fairs has a long history. Initially, fairs contributed to the founding of new settlements and cities, as they were located at the intersection of large trade routes and roads. Part of the proceeds from sales went to the construction of urban facilities and the development of the city's infrastructure.

The development of fair activity, in addition to the formation of cities, contributed to the emergence of markets and bazaars - important economic components of successful trade. And also contributed to the emergence of craft schools, because. the master, who received popular recognition at the fair, had the right to recruit and train students.

The main period in the development of fairs is the XII-XIII century. At this time, fair trade became widespread in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Initially, they were timed to coincide with religious holidays, but already in the Middle Ages, fairs came to new level and began to personify the most important event in the life of the city. During the period of the fair, merchants, artisans, traders, touring artists, fortune tellers, musicians, etc. came to the city. A huge number of visiting people contributed to the economic and tourist development of the city, and also made it a place of folk festivals and entertainment for a long time.

History of fairs in Russia

The first fairs in Russia appeared at the beginning of the 11th century and were called "torzhki". They passed, as a rule, at the intersection of major trade routes, timed to coincide with one type of product and lasted only a few days. By the middle of the 13th century, foreign merchants began to come to the local "torts", which contributed to the development of fair activities. By the end of the 17th century, fairs began to be held throughout the country.

The most famous fairs of the Russian Empire were:

Nizhny Novgorod

Moscow

Orenburg

Barnaul

Irbitskaya

Large-scale fairs lasted about two months, during which time it was possible to buy anything, from food to single foreign goods. The Nizhny Novgorod fair was especially famous; from the beginning of the 19th century it became the main fair of the country. In addition to Russian merchants, Persians, Armenians, Chinese, Europeans and many other foreign merchants came here. At that time, there was even a saying: "Moscow is the heart, St. Petersburg is the head, and Nizhny Novgorod is the pocket of the Russian Empire."

During the Nizhny Novgorod fair, the number of people living in the city increased from 20,000 people to 200,000! The security of the townspeople, merchants and vacationers was provided by the police and guards, who arrived from neighboring cities.