Commerce in western Europe had almost disappeared as a
result of the Germanic invasions and the establishment of feudalism. What
little commercial intercourse there was encountered many obstacles. A merchant
who went by land from country to country might expect to find bad roads, few
bridges, and poor inns. Goods were transported on pack-horses instead of in
wagons. Highway robbery was so common that travelers always carried arms and
often united in bands for better protection. The feudal lords, often themselves
not much more than highwaymen, demanded tolls at every bridge and ford and on
every road. If the merchant proceeded by water, he must face, in addition to
the ordinary hazards of wind and wave, the danger from the ill-lighted coasts
and from attacks by pirates. No wonder commerce languished in the early Middle
Ages and for a long time lay chiefly in the hands of Byzantines and Arabs.
COMMERCIAL REVIVAL AFTER THE CRUSADES
Even during the dark centuries that followed the end of
the Roman Empire, some trade with the Orient had been carried on by the cities
of Italy and southern France. The crusades, which brought East and West face to
face, greatly increased this trade. The Mediterranean lands first felt the
stimulating effects of intercourse with the Orient, but before long the
commercial revival extended to the rest of Europe.
