Europe in the Middle Ages - Episode 4

Good morning, we are going to wind down Europe in the Middle Ages series and then shift into summer mode.  During the summer, instead of posting daily, I will be posting new blogs three days a week from June to August.  Then in September, I will be back to blogging five days a week.

This time we are going to explore Medieval Cities and city planning through the eyes of a scholar.  The run time for this episode is 52:23.

The Cathedral was the symbol of power for the city and they were often constructed by unknown workers.  It was stone masons that helped create the Gothic style.  The Cathedrals were paid for by merchants, bankers, and patricians.  They were members of a new class.  The Cathedrals were often built out of pride to show what men could aspire to.  This episode follows the life of Heinrich Schuder.  He was a doctor, a cartographer, and a scholar.

In 1492, Heinrich made his way to Venice and he is looking for information on the new trade routes to India and maps.  He also had to pay bills in Venice.  Venice was the hub of world trade and so Henrich would travel through Venice.  It is here that he sees the roots of bankers.  The money changers had set up an office in Venice.  They placed a cloth over the table that showed they could legally be money changers.  They also pledged not to default on the republic.  The tool of their trade was a scale and they had to withdraw any forged or poor-quality coins. 

Francisco Marco di Datini was a pioneer in the banking trade.  He was known as rich Francisco.  He had the most beautiful and expensive palace in Venice.  150,000 documents have been preserved and these documents show the banking trade he engaged in.  He was no longer a traveling merchant.  He combined banker and financier.  He also produced some of the finest woolen fabrics.  He was a global player.  He controlled 16 business operations.  He pioneered double-entry bookkeeping, and this standard is still being kept all around the world.  He also invented the bill of exchange.  His signature was considered currency around the world.

However, the bankers could not charge interest.  They lived in the fear of hell if they did.  It is here where a preacher talks about the torments that would follow if the bankers charged interest.  Datini feared the fires of hell and tried to win heaven over.  He gave money to the church and was known as the “merchant of the poor.”  At his death, he released his debtors and gave his business to his employees.

Henrich continues his exploration of Venice.  He notices corpses being taken out of the house.  The Black Death was back in Venice and it was spreading like wildfire.  This was the first time Henrich had seen plague victims.  The Black Death did not spare the rich or poor in Venice.  The dead had left such a stench, they dead had to be buried outside the city.  Plague victims had to be reported and everyone who had the plague was taken to a plague island.  Henrich decided that he needed to help out.  However, everyone who had the plague was doomed to die.

The quarantine station in Venice still exists.  It was the place where people had to be quarantined before entering the city.  All travelers had to be under observation for 40 days.  Even the goods that the travelers brought with them had to be stored for 40 days.  Only those who passed the medical examination could go into the city.  However, it was the rats that were bringing the plague into Venice.  Heinrich eventually leaves Venice to return to Nuremberg.  Anyone who left the city was sentenced to death, but he decided he had to risk it.  Would Heinrich make it out of Venice?  Would he make his way back to Nuremberg?  Did he catch the plague?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more about Heinrich and the Medieval Cities.

This was an interesting documentary, however, I felt like the title was deceptive.  The film makers did not get to the town planning until the middle of the documentary.  Still, it was very interesting and would be something I would show int eh classroom.