ARCH1306.Lecture 4 2024

RMIT Classification: Trusted
Lecture 4: The Medieval City: The Mature and Late Phases, 10th to
14th Centuries
Lecture 3: The Medieval City: The Mature and Late Phases, 10th to
14th Centuries
1. Historical Background
2. European Medieval Cities and Towns During the High

and Late Phases: Main Features
3. Case Studies: Lubeck
4. Conclusions
Collapse of the Ancient Roman Empire:
395 AD split of the Roman Empire into the

Western and Eastern halves.
476 AD collapse of the Western Roman

Empire after Germanic Barbarians invade and
sack Rome.
Early Medieval Era, 480 to 1000 AD
• End of Roman authority and civil order so no • Spread of Islam throughout the
funds for urban infrastructure; Middle East, north Africa and
• Old Roman era towns and cities shrink in southern Spain restricts trading on
population and size; the Mediterranean Sea;
• Rise and fall of many regional based ethnic • Northern and southern Europe go
tribes and city states during a period of wars; into a decline – dark ages;
• urban planning in old and new towns focuses • Eastern Roman Empire survives
on defences – walls, castles and locate on until the late 1450s AD.
defendable locations;
• Spread of Catholicism;
High Medieval Era, 11th to 12th centuries AD.
• growing political stability in parts of

northern Europe but not southern;
• the Medieval Warm Period - that lasted
from about 950 to 1250 AD - allowed
agricultural output to increase which
caused a rise in the population;
• emergence of the Hanseatic League of
trading cities around the Baltic Sea now
promotes economic revival and trade;
• reintroduction of money and credit;
• rise of merchants, guilds and city self-
governance;
• New towns and cities are built and older • Start of European universities –
ones grow in size but a heavy emphasis Bologna (1088); Oxford (1096);
on defence continues; Salamanca (1134) Paris (1160),
• Invention of the watermill, horseshoes, Cambridge (1209), Padua (1222),
crop rotation and improved shipbuilding; Naples (1224), Siena (1240) and
• start of the religious crusades between Coimbra (1290).
Christianity and Islam.
Late Medieval Era, 13th to 14th Centuries, AD.
• political stability spreads in northern and southern

Europe – England, France, Italy and Spain;
• new inventions include manufacture of paper, the
printing press, the mechanical clock, gunpowder,
compass and importing of coffee;
• emergence of new towns and growth of cities
where many retained their defences;
• restoration of trade in the Mediterranean and
import of spices and goods from India and China;
• further expansion of Christianity into the rural areas
and the setting-up of more new monasteries and
nearby townships;
• spread of the universities and knowledge of the
ancient world;
• increased inter-regional trading brought diseases
including the Black Plague (1347-1350) which
killed half of Europe’s population.
2. European Medieval Cities and Towns: High to Late Phases
Main Features:
2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to

Late Phases: Main Features
Mont Saint Michel abbey, off the
north-west French coast, was
The ancient Roman principles of good air, started by monks in 708 AD.
clean water and flat land that had been
used to locate new townships was now
abandoned for locations that could be
easily defended.
Existing towns and cities from the ancient

Roman and early medieval era simply
built higher and stronger fortified walls.
New towns sought out strategic locations

on the tops of a hill, on a river island, next
to a sea cliff or marsh lands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
Sbbyqb072wU
2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Phases: Main Features
The grid layout – is largely

abandoned due to the unsuitable sites
now chosen for new towns. Many
medieval towns are small and
compact in size enclosed by defensive
walls that discourage the use of a grid
street layout. Winding streets and
laneways become common.
Medieval Siena, Italy – built on

several hills had no straight
streets but plenty of narrow
curving streets and laneways.

Land Allotments and Subdivisions -

land is subdivided into burgage
plots.
This allowed land to now be sold or

rented. To do this required property
boundaries and deeds of title.
It would also allow the original

landowner or a municipal council to
levy taxes and charges on the new
small landowners or renters.

Roads and its Surfacing – it

was dependent upon the level
of political organization and
resources. Most late medieval
towns and cities had paved
their main streets using either
stones, gravel, bricks and even
wood. Smaller streets and
laneways were usually left as
dirt.
Footpaths were uncommon at

this time.
Medieval Novgorod, Russia. Designed to

avoid deep winter snow and rain.

Building regulations – bye-laws tried

to regulate building heights, material
used for walls, encroachment on
streets and laneways, shops and
workshops on ground floors, plus
encouraged the use of stone to reduce
fires.
Above: street, Canterbury, England.
Right: street, Saint Mont Michel,

France.

Late Medieval Housing in Bologna, Italy; Bordeaux and Paris, France.


A shortage of land led to building upwards and on bridges as land inside

city walls declined. Multi-storey buildings were common especially where
stone and brick was used. Villages and townships had backyard gardens
but not in the dense larger towns and cities encircled by a defensive wall.
Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Florence. Photo: Anthea Whitehead, June 2019.


Water supply system – difficult

building sites for new towns caused
many problems. Water wells were
widespread and cisterns stored
rainwater.
No houses had water pipped to them.
Some old Roman era towns and

cities used the pre-existing Old medieval
infrastructure of aqueducts and water well in
fountains. Catholic monasteries and Venice, Italy.
castles did devise new water
collection and distribution systems.

Attempts were however made to build

and improve water provision on a city-
wide scale but these were restricted to
the larger medieval cities:
For example:
Paris, France – 1119 underground water

using pipes;
Canterbury, England- 1153-67 under
ground water pipes;
Old roman era aqueduct in
Stratford, England – 1220-22 under ground
medieval Sulmona, Italy.
water pipes;
London, England – 1237 connected springs
to underground water pipes;
If public access was allowed then
Siena, Italy – 1343 underground water
there would be a central town
storage and channel system (ie. bottini);
fountain.


Removal of wastewater and sewerage

– this was a major failing of the whole
medieval period. Human waste was
dropped onto the street or into cesspits,
moats and on nearby rural fields. Toilets
on the outside walls of buildings were
called garderobes.

An out side the wall drop toilet

in medieval Siena, Italy.

Despite these efforts most medieval

towns and cities remained breeding
places for illness and public disease.
Sewerage was being disposed of in

an ineffective and unsafe manner.
Bye-laws were passed, such as in

14th century London not to pollute
clean drinking water sources such as A plague
streams and rivers. It made little doctor with
difference. bird beak
mask and
costume.

Provision of public facilities – was

conditional on town size and local
resources. Local feudal lords often
made donations to build a church, a
courthouse, town hall, police station,
jail, water wells and maybe a bath
house. The catholic church often
provided a small school and a lay-in
hospital.
Late Medieval Era Town Hall,

Brussels, Belgium.
Next to a castle, the church remained the
most important public building in most
large towns and cities during the medieval Cologne
Cathedral
era. Germany
Churches in larger towns and cities were

replaced by the cathedral and its gothic
vaults with large stained glass windows
were used to educate and condition an
illiterate medieval population. .
Canterbury
Cathedral,
England

Provision of public space – the

town square was dominant during this
period. It acted as a marketplace
during the week and offered public
entertainment and the staging of
cultural events on special occasions. It
was generally paved and varied in
shape and size. Some larger towns
and cities had multiple smaller town
squares.
In Siena, the town square also hosted

the famous Palio horse race two
times each year.
Siena Town Square, Italy, Photo: Anthea
Whitehead, June, 2019.

Urban governance – certain types of

towns and cities had numerous bye-laws
to regulate their town markets, collect
taxes, ensured the narrow streets
remained clear, regulated the height of
buildings, conducted local elections,
disposed of waste, ran festivals, kept the
water clean, etc.
Such bye-laws did not always get The London Assize of Nuisance
enforced. Magistrates and law courts (above), is a list of grievances made
also emerge to enforce these bye-laws against neighbours in London between
in the larger towns and cities. 1301-1431, who are alleged to have
broken municipal bye-laws.

In some Italian late medieval era cities,

the need for defence – lookout towers –
Medieval Bologna, Italy – location of its
were over time turned into a status
once 48 towers in central Bologna.
symbol of power, by the rich merchant
families of a city.

Left: Leaning towers in Bologna, Italy.
Below: Tower and tree in Lucca, Italy.


Protection and Hazardous land

uses – defensive walls, lookout
towers and gates were often built
even if a castle was nearby.
Hazardous land uses were often

allowed to be integrated with other
land uses because of the small and
compact size of most fortified towns.
Medieval castle towns were often

built to colonize alien lands by their
new rulers.
2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late Phases:

Main Features
Caernarfon Castle
Conwy Castle Flint Castle
Northern Wales, Photos: Kent Middleton, June 2019.

3. Case Studies – Lubeck, Germany.
Lubeck was one of the founding medieval

German cities of the Hanseatic League of
trading cities.
Founded in 1143 AD and by 1190 it was

given self-governing powers that lead to
merchants transforming the city into a
shipping hub for the Baltic sea region.
Everything was shipped through Lubeck

including wheat, tin, silver, copper, iron,
cloth, fish, oil, salt, wine, foodstuff, etc.
3. Case Studies – Lubeck, Germany.

3. High and Late Medieval City Case Studies – Lubeck, Germany.



High and late medieval urban planning features
include:
1) Located on a river island called Bucu and

surrounded by the Trave river;
2) Also possessed defensive fortifications
especially on the main city entrance;
3) Adopted a grid street layout but sloping land
caused some distortion;
4) Possessed the classic medieval town centre
which consisted of a cathedral, town hall,
market square and water fountain;
5) Buildings were multi-storied and made from
brick;
6) It seems to have had a degree of land use
zoning with commercial and warehouse
activities restricted to the main streets with
residential areas found in the side streets;
7) It also possessed 4 other smaller churches,
2 hospitals, bishops residence, a convent,
the remanent of a castle, warehouses, etc;
8) There is no evidence of an underground
sewer and waste disposal systems but most
likely poured it into the Trave river.
4. Summary: Main Urban Planning Innovations
The medieval period showed there was clear regression when compared to what the ancient
Roman’s had achieved in urban planning.
This could be partly explained by the collapse of the western Roman Empire which had provided
political and economic stability to large parts of Europe which is essential for the planning and
provision of urban infrastructure.
Despite this setback the high and late medieval periods did show some progress was made in a
few areas of urban planning but regional wars between city states and rulers often delayed more
urban planning.
Exactly where one lived –region and city – determined how much progress was made during the
mature and late medieval periods.
Some sources Used:
L. Benevolo (1980) The History of the City, Scolar Press, London.
P. Hohenberg and L. Lees (1985) The Making of Urban Europe, 1000-1994, Harvard University Press, Boston.
M. Hugo-Brunt (1972) The History of City Planning: A Survey, Harvest House,Montreal.
K. Lilley (2002) Urban Life in the Middle Ages, 1000-1450, Palgrave,London.
S. Kostof (1991) The City Shaped: Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History, Bulfinch Press, NewYork.
A. Morris (2013) History of Urban Form: Before the Industrial Revolution, 3rd edition, Routledge, New York.
C. Ross and J. Clark (2011) London: The Illustrated History, Penguin Books, London.
H. Saalman (1970) Medieval Cities, Studio Vista Limited, London.
N. Pounds (2005) The Medieval City, Greenwood Press, Newport.
M. Welford (2018) Geographies of Plague Pandemics: The Spatial-Temporal Behavior of Plague to the Modern Day,
Routledge, London.

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RMIT Classification: Trusted

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns During the High

3. Case Studies: Lubeck

395 AD split of the Roman Empire into the

476 AD collapse of the Western Roman

Early Medieval Era, 480 to 1000 AD

• growing political stability in parts of

Late Medieval Era, 13th to 14th Centuries, AD.

• political stability spreads in northern and southern

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns: High to Late Phases

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to

Existing towns and cities from the ancient

New towns sought out strategic locations

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

The grid layout – is largely

Medieval Siena, Italy – built on

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Land Allotments and Subdivisions -

This allowed land to now be sold or

It would also allow the original

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Roads and its Surfacing – it

Footpaths were uncommon at

Medieval Novgorod, Russia. Designed to

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Building regulations – bye-laws tried

Above: street, Canterbury, England.

Right: street, Saint Mont Michel,

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Late Medieval Housing in Bologna, Italy; Bordeaux and Paris, France.

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to

A shortage of land led to building upwards and on bridges as land inside

Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Florence. Photo: Anthea Whitehead, June 2019.

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Water supply system – difficult

No houses had water pipped to them.

Some old Roman era towns and

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to

Attempts were however made to build

Paris, France – 1119 underground water

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Removal of wastewater and sewerage

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

An out side the wall drop toilet

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to

Despite these efforts most medieval

Sewerage was being disposed of in

Bye-laws were passed, such as in

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Provision of public facilities – was

Late Medieval Era Town Hall,

Churches in larger towns and cities were

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Provision of public space – the

In Siena, the town square also hosted

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to

Urban governance – certain types of

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

In some Italian late medieval era cities,

2. European Medieval Cities and Towns of the High to Late

Left: Leaning towers in Bologna, Italy.

Below: Tower and tree in Lucca, Italy.