Medieval Cities : : Their Origins and the Revival of Trade - Updated Edition / / Henri Pirenne.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter PUP eBook-Package Pilot Project 2014-2015
• VerfasserIn: Pirenne, Henri,
• TeilnehmendeR: McCormick, Michael.
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2014]; ©2014
• Year of Publication: 2014
• Edition: Updated edition with a New Introduction
• Language: English
• Series: Princeton Classics ; 8
• Physical Description: 1 online resource

Nearly a century after it was first published in 1925, Medieval Cities remains one of the most provocative works of medieval history ever written. Here, Henri Pirenne argues that it was not the invasion of the Germanic tribes that destroyed the civilization of antiquity, but rather the closing of Mediterranean trade by Arab conquest in the seventh century. The consequent interruption of long-distance commerce accelerated the decline of the ancient cities of Europe. Pirenne challenges conventional wisdom by attributing the origins of medieval cities to the revival of trade, tracing their growth from the tenth century to the twelfth. He also describes the important role the middle class played in the development of the modern economic system and modern culture.Featuring a new introduction by Michael McCormick, this Princeton Classics edition of Medieval Cities is essential reading for all students of medieval European history.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Introduction -- Translator'S Foreword -- Preface -- Chapter I. The Mediterranean -- Chapter II. The Ninth Century -- Chapter III. City Origins -- Chapter IV. The Revival of Commerce -- Chapter V. The Merchant Class -- Chapter VI. The Middle Class -- Chapter VII. Municipal Institutions -- Chapter VIII. Cities and European Civilization -- Bibliography -- Index