Figure 1.--

The German barbarians swept aross the Rhine and the Germans chiefs becme the ruling class throughour Western Europe, including Gaul. The disruption of Barbarian invasion brought an end to long distance commerce and civilisation retreated to purely agricultural settlements, and isolated military, church, and aristicratic centers. Even with the fall of Rome, the wealth generated by French farmers ensured that France would be an economic and thus political power in medieval Europe. The collapse of Rome unhinged in Gaul from the Mediterranen world. Urban life in Ronamized Gaul and trade declined, Life in ahat the Merovingian age became centered on the self-sufficient manor. This was the esence of the Feudal System. It was in France that the Feudal system achiieved its greatest flowering. What limited international trade existed (primarily in luxury goods such as silk, papyrus, and silver )was conducted by foreign merchants such as the Radanites. Germany was potentially the dominant force in Europe. Germany was, however, rent by the conflict between the papacy and Emperor and would not be united until the 19th century. One historian has formulated a thesis that it was Islam tha bplayed a major role in reinvigoariong French urban life-- the Pirenne thesis. As trade revived few remaining ceners, often old Roman cities, became the nucleus of new towns and cities around which communities of merchants and artisans grew. The High Middle Ages saw a continuation of the agricultural boom of the Carolingian era. Urban life began tp grow. Towns such as Paris, which appears to have begun as druid shrine befpre the arival of the Romans, expanded dramatically. Louis VII established Paris definatively as the capital of France (12th century)/Notre Dame begun durung Louis reign woukd cement the position of Paris. France remained a major power based on the fecundity of its soil, but in many ways was more backward than England, a much smaller power. England and France had fought the Hundreds Years War (1337 to 1453), in the medieval era with England, the smaller power dominating for long periods. The Hundred Year War was actuall more like 130 years. And the War was not the only castrople. There were a series of economic catastrophes, bad harvests, famines, and plagues blighted the lives of four generations of Frenchmen. The population during this peropd had expanded, making the food supply increasingly more precarious. This was all before the polto was introduced as part pf the Colombian Exchange. Nothing rivaled the Black Death. The bubonic plague (Black Death) hit Western Europe in (1347) killing a third of the population. The French monarch was weak during the High nMedevial era because of the strength of provinces. A major source of revenue was the dcbasement of the currency. This at times reached spectacular levels. The monarchy debased the silver content of its coins by more than 50 percent in just one year (1303).

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Created: 11:37 PM 8/12/2020
Last updated: 11:37 PM 8/12/2020