Scocieties built on manor's or trade routes for trade and commerce. Merchants helped settle towns because they usually lived where they sold their goods. People did not come out of their houses because they were to scared in the village, because the knights would threghten them and tell them to die. The Knights and king were cruel because they left the people to starve.
The medieval era lasted for such a long time that population figures increased and decreased several times. Domesday Book (1086) was the only nationwide survey taken during the period and even this is incomplete and does not include the entire population, so we can only estimate figures:
In 1000 the population may have been around 2,000,000
In 1100 the population may have been almost 3,000,000
In 1200 it may have been almost 4,000,000
In 1300 it may have been around 5,000,000 or even 6,000,000
In 1400 it had dropped to around 2,500,000
In 1500 it was down to around 2,000,000
It is interesting to note that just after the Norman Conquest in 1066 around 2.5 million English people were ruled by around 7,000 Norman aristocrats (perhaps 40,000 if their immediate families are included).
The dramatic fall in population at the time of the Black Death (1348 - 1350) is clearly shown, but the numbers seem to continue to fall even after that time.
The distinguishing feature of a medieval town was usually that it had a permanent market. This separated it from a village, which might have a fair from time to time, but had no permanent market.
In order to sustain a permanent market, a town had to have places for the merchants and trades people of the market to live. It also had to have places for travelers to stay, since traders and itinerant craftsmen were important to the market. It had to have the normal sorts of shops that villages had, butchers, bakers, and so on. It nearly always had a public bath.
There was no legal definition of a town in terms of the size of its population. Rather the definition was usually in terms of a charter for the market. But we can see that it would have had to have a population that went into the hundreds of people, at least.
"Medieval Europe" covers a broad range of time, so no single answer can be given. In addition, only estimates are available; and these range from 250,000 (13th century CE) to 400,000 (around 1750 CE).See also:
Merchants, by selling food and goods, attracted people to move to the towns. The Medieval period is also known as the Middle Ages.
Simple 'Rape"-- not a joke!
The men that held power in towns in medieval times were the bishops, priests, kings, queens, and the landlords.
in medieval towns
they were located in Greece and rome because they could inhance their trade routes
Crusades
improvements in agriculture and revival trade
Merchants, by selling food and goods, attracted people to move to the towns. The Medieval period is also known as the Middle Ages.
Simple 'Rape"-- not a joke!
Cities were built(most places in medieval Europe was towns)
Reasons for growth were improvements in agriculture and the revival of trade.
The men that held power in towns in medieval times were the bishops, priests, kings, queens, and the landlords.
in medieval towns
they were located in Greece and rome because they could inhance their trade routes
Towns in medieval Europe were dangerous places because they were noisy, crowded, and often unsafe. Pickpockets and theives would always be on the lookout for travelers with money in their pockets. Towns didn't have streetlights, so night Watchmen patrolled the streets with candle lanterns to deter (discourage) criminals. -Carol
Medieval towns were independent by buying a royal charter.
Medieval towns were crowded because serfs wanted more freedom and moved out of the manor land to towns.