Team Members: Block: Europe: Trial Objectives Economics and Cross-Cultural

Team Members: ______Block: ______
Europe: Trial Objectives Economics and cross-cultural interactions

Instructions: The following primary and secondary sources are designed to provide your legal firm with the information needed to formulate arguments that will show that the societies you represent have met and exceeded the challenges posed by the following three questions. Use your time wisely and provide responses with proof that your culture has shown the best answers to these questions on earth for this time period. Be aware that other trial teams have access to this information as well and will be looking for weaknesses in your arguments. Be prepared to defend your assertions.

1. How is economic prosperity and opportunity distributed amongst the population in this society? Is economic prosperity dependent on exploitation of certain segments of this society or is it based on individual initiative? Why is this beneficial in either case?

2. What is more important; internal trade or external trade and contact? What kinds of items are they trading?

Does economic expansion depend on aggression towards other cultures or does it rely on peaceful interactions? What are the advantages of either?

Objective: What is more important; internal trade or external trade and contact? What kinds of items are they trading? Does economic expansion depend on aggression towards other cultures or does it rely on peaceful interactions? What are the advantages of either?

1. How important were cross-cultural interactions in trade to the acquisition of silk making by the Byzantines? ______

“About the same time there came from India certain monks; and when they had satisfied Justinian Augustus that the Romans no longer should buy silk from the Persians, they promised the emperor in an interview that they would provide the materials for making silk so that never should the Romans seek business of this kind from their enemy the Persians, or from any other people whatsoever. They said that they were formerly in Serinda, which they call the region frequented by the people of the Indies, and there they learned perfectly the art of making silk. Moreover, to the emperor who plied them with many questions as to whether he might have the secret, the monks replied that certain worms were manufacturers of silk, nature itself forcing them to keep always at work; the worms could certainly not be brought here alive, but they could be grown easily and without difficulty; the eggs of single hatchings are innumerable; as soon as they are laid men cover them with dung and keep them warm for as long as it is necessary so that they produce insects. When they had announced these tidings, led on by liberal promises of the emperor to prove the fact, they returned to India. When they had brought the eggs to Byzantium, the method having been learned, as I have said, they changed them by metamorphosis into worms which feed on the leaves of mulberry. Thus began the art of making silk from that time on in the Roman Empire.”

- (Primary Source) Procopius, Byzantine court historian under Justinian, from History of the Gothic Wars, describing The Roman (Byzantine) Silk Industry, c. 550

Objective: How is economic prosperity and opportunity distributed amongst the population in this society? Is economic prosperity dependent on exploitation of certain segments of this society or is it based on individual initiative? Why is this beneficial in either case?

2. How does the political system support the individual merchants in the city of Constantinople? ______

3. Why is it interesting that the merchants in the city are primarily women? ______

“The city is enormous in size and in two parts separated by a great river [the Golden Horn], in which there is a rising and ebbing tide. In former times there was a stone bridge over it, but it fell into ruins and the crossing is now made in boats. The part of the city on the eastern bank of the river is called Istanbul, and contains the residence of the Emperor, the nobles and the rest of the population. Its bazaars and streets are spacious and paved with flagstones; each bazaar has gates which are closed upon it at night, and the majority of the artisans and sellers in them are women. The city lies at the foot of a hill which projects about nine miles into the sea, its breadth being the same or greater. On the top of the hill there is a small citadel and the Emperor's palace. Round this hill runs the city-wall, which is very strong and cannot be taken by assault from the sea front. Within its circuit there are about thirteen inhabited villages. The principal church is in the midst of this part of the city.”

- (Primary Source) Ibn Battuta, Moroccan Muslim jurist, traveler, and geographer, from Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354, describing the city of Constantinople

4. Why would the Emperor tolerate a section of his city being so undisciplined? What markets do these individuals open for the Byzantines? ______

“The second part, on the western bank of the river, is called Galata, and is reserved to the Frankish Christians who dwell there. They are of different kinds, including Genoese, Venetians, Romans [other Italians?] and people of France; they are subject to the authority of the king of Constantinople, who sets over them one of their own number of whom they approve, and him they call the Comes [count]. They are bound to pay a tax every year to the king of Constantinople, but often they revolt against him and he makes war on them until the Pope makes peace between them. They are all men of commerce and their harbor is one of the largest in the world; I saw there about a hundred galleys and other large ships, and the small ships were too many to be counted. The bazaars in this part of the town are good but filthy, and a small and very dirty river runs through them. Their churches too are filthy and mean.”

- (Primary Source) Ibn Battuta, Moroccan Muslim jurist, traveler, and geographer, from Travels in Asia and Africa 1325-1354, describing the city of Constantinople

5. If the religious messages are ignored this monk is reveling a kind of trade going on in northern Europe. Who is initiating this trade and does that state or church seem to be able to control it?

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“Though markets and fairs are terms often used indiscriminately, there is a difference between them, for fairs deal with larger things and only once in the year, or at least rarely in the same place, and to them come men from afar. But markets are for lesser things, the daily necessaries of life; they are held weekly and only people from near at hand come. Hence markets are usually morally worse than fairs. They are held on feast days, and men miss thereby the divine office and the sermon and even disobey the precept of hearing Mass, and attend these meetings against the Church's commands. Sometimes, too, they are held in graveyards and other holy places. Frequently you will hear men swearing there: "By God I will not give you so much for it," or "By God I will not take a smaller price," or "By God it is not worth so much as that." Sometimesagain the lord is defrauded of market dues, which is perfidy and disloyalty....Sometimes, too, quarrels happen and violent disputes.... Drinking is occasioned.... Christ, you may note, was found in the market-place, for Christ is justice and justice should be there....Thus the legend runs of a man who, entering an abbey, found many devils in the cloister but in the market-place found but one, alone on a high pillar. This filled him with wonder. But it was told him that in the cloister all is arranged to help souls to God, so many devils are required there to induce monks to be led astray, but in the market-place, since each man is a devil to himself, only one other demon suffices.”

- (Primary Source) Humbert de Romans, Master General of the Dominicans and a leading theologian, 1250 CE

6. How is the King of Aragon (Modern northern Spain) promoting individual initiative in economic production and trade?

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“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be it known to all, both present and future, that we, James, by the grace of God, King of Aragon, and of the kingdom of Majorca, Count of Barcelona and Urgell, and Lord of Montpellier, mindful of the many and praiseworthy services and kindnesses, which you, our beloved and faithful citizens of Barcelona, have always shown to us and to our predecessors, and which, with faith and devotion, you freely show today, and wishing to show you special favor, the benefit of which both you and yours may enjoy forever, we, therefore, by this charter, given on behalf of us and our successors, enfranchise and make free in every way each and all of our beloved and faithful citizens, both now and in the future, the inhabitants of Barcelona, with all your goods and merchandise from all tolls, bridge tolls, municipal tolls, and all tolls and customs, new and old, decreed or to be decreed, and from all taxes on your goods everywhere throughout all places in our kingdoms and lands and all places under our dominion, both by land and sea, and on the river, and going from, staying at, or returning to the harbor.

Therefore we decree and firmly ordain that no toll-gatherer, collector, tax gatherer, prefect, majordomo, treasurer, justiciar, bailli, justice or judge, alcalde, mayor, or bailiff, or any other official of ours, or servant, present or future, shall impede, take or detain, you, or any one of you, or your officials or messengers, or any of your goods or merchandise, in any place, by reason of those things from which, as we have said, we have enfranchised you and yours, but you shall be free, exempt, and quit of all the said things everywhere, always, and to the innermost parts of our kingdom. And whoever, against the tenor of this our charter, shall attempt to tax you, or your servants or messengers, or your goods or merchandise, which you have or shall have in the future, let him know that he will have incurred without any remedy both our anger and a penalty of a thousand marabotins, to his cost and at his expense, and that he must make restitution to you fully and in double.

(Primary Source) King James I of Aragon, from his Grant of Trade Privileges to Barcelona, 1232

7. Why would Guild products gain more profit than independent craftsmen in Northern Europe? How does the guild ensure that its wishes and rules for production are followed?

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“1. No one shall presume to cut cloth, except he be of our craft; those who break this rule will amend to the gild with three talents. 2. Thrice a year there ought to be a meeting of the brethren, and whoever does not come to it will amend according to justice. 3. Whoever wishes to enter the fraternity whose father was a brother and cut cloth will come with his friends to the meeting of the brethren, and if he conduct himself honestly, he will be able to join the gild at the first request on payment of five solidi, and he will give six denarii to the master. And if he be dishonest and should not conduct himself well, he should be put off until the second or third meeting. But any of our citizens who wish to enter the gild, if he be an honest man, and worthy, will give a talent to the brethren on entry into the gild, and will present a solidus to the master. But if a guest who is an honest man should decide to join our fraternity, he will give thirty solidi to the gild on his entry, and eighteen denarii to the master. 4. But in the time of the fairs, that is of the annual fair, any guest, even if he be not of the craft, will be able to cut cloth during the whole fair. 5. If any of our burgesses holding office wish to enter the craft he will abjure his office, and, on entrance to the gild, will present one mark of gold freely to the brethren, and to the master eighteen denarii. 6. If any brother has been accustomed to prepare cloth in his house and is wont to cut or sell it at the wish of others, he will either cease or have no part in his fraternity. 7. Whatever two parts of the brethren have decreed to do the third part ought to consent to do; but if that third be unwilling, each will amend with three solidi, and will pay them at the next meeting. 8. Every year a master and four other good men who shall preside over the affairs of the gild will be faithfully chosen. 9. Moreover whoever goes contrary to these decrees and is unwilling to obey the master and brethren according to justice, his contumacy ought to be referred to the judgment of his superior....”

- (Primary Source) John and Otto, by the grace of God, margraves of Brandenburg.... We make known this day of 1231 ... that we, ... desiring to provide properly for our city of Stendal, have changed, and do change, for the better, the laws of the gild brethren, and of those who are called cloth-cutters, so that they might have the same laws in this craft as their gild brethren the garment-cutters in Magdeburg have been accustomed to observe in the past. These are the laws:

Team Members: ______Block: ______ Europe: Trial Objectives Economics and Cross-Cultural

1. How important were cross-cultural interactions in trade to the acquisition of silk making by the Byzantines? ______

Team Members: Block: Europe: Trial Objectives Economics and Cross-Cultural