C. In the early 900s, the pious Abbot Berno at Cluny, a monastery in eastern France, set out to end abuses
XVII. Jews in Western Europe
A. Medieval Europe was home to numerous Jewish communities
B. After the Romans expelled them from Palestine, the Jews had scattered all around the Mediterranean
C. In their new homes, they preserved the oral and written laws that were central to their faith
Economic Expansion and Change
XVIII. An Agricultural Revolution
A. By 1000, Europe�s economic recovery was well underway
B. It had begun in the countryside, where peasants adapted new farming technologies that made their fields more productive
C. By about 800, peasants were using new iron plows that carved deep into the heavy soil of Northern Europe
XIX. Trade Revives
A. Europe�s growing population needed goods that were not available on the manor
B. Peasants needed iron for farming tools
C. Wealthy nobles wanted fine wools, furs, and spices from Asia
XX. A Commercial Revolution
A. As trade revived, money reappeared
B. This in turn, led to more changes
C. Good merchants, for examples, needed money to buy hoods, so they borrowed from money lenders
XXI. Role of Guilds
A. Merchant guilds, or associations, dominated life in medieval towns
B. They passed laws, levied taxes, and decided whether to spend fns to pace the streets with cobblestones, build protective walls for the city, or raise a new town hall
C. In time, artisans came to resent the powerful merchants
XXII. City Life
A. Medieval towns and cities were surrounded by high, protective walls
B. As the city grew, space within the walls filled to overflowing, and newcomers had to settle in the fields outside the walls
C. To keep up with this constant growth, every few years the city might rebuild its walls farther and farther out
XXIII. Looking Ahead
A. By 1300, Western Europe was a different place from what it had been in the early Middle Ages
B. Although most people had no way of knowing it, slow but momentous changes were sending shockwaves through medieval life
C. Trade, for example, put ideas as well as money into circulation