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Taxation in medieval England

Medieval money matters

A commercialising economy : England 1086 to c.1300

This text focuses on a formative period in the development of the English economy. Between the making of the Domesday Book and the end of the 13th century, far-reaching changes occured in the scale and organization of economic activity. The volume of trade expanded and involved a greater proportion of both the population and the goods produced. New financial and commercial institutions were created, and more business-like attitudes became prevalent, and the market came increasingly to determine what was produced. In short, economic life was becoming more commercialized. This work examines the course and the consequences of these changes. It considers the impact of commercialization upon different commodities and different producers, and the effect upon that process of traditional relationships between landlords and tenants. It also questions whether people were better off in 1300 than in 1086, and whether or not there was real economic growth over this period.