Why was the Rise of the Medieval Towns Significant

These days a town is a pretty common thing; a lot of people live in towns or cities. But during the middle ages towns were slowly becoming the norm especially during the high middle ages. With the rise of towns during the middle ages, the most important question to ask is, why was the rise of medieval towns significant to western civilization?

Before getting into the question, first why were these towns founded? Like a lot of things there is definitely more than one reason, but one of the main reasons was Viking invasions. Because of the ongoing attacks from the Vikings people began living in areas behind thick walls(a lot of towns were founded behind walls), to stay safe. Overtime people began living in these areas permanently which brought trade and commerce to the area, which created an economy.

The second main reason for this was monasteries and cathedral schools. This was because eventually monasteries and cathedral schools attracted people to live in those areas. Hence these were the two main reasons why towns during the medieval era were founded.

Moving forward: why was the rise of medieval towns significant to history particularly western history? The reason why they were significant was because they inspired some of the concepts of modern liberty. For example people who lived in these medieval towns had sought for more freedoms; and the medieval concept of liberty was much more common in the minds of townsfolk during the middle ages. This was because these townsfolk were able to choose their own government officials, and self govern. Even though there were some aspects of this that share similar things to the modern concept of liberty, there were many aspects of this that definitely would not fit into the view of modern liberty.

In summary, the reason why the rise of medieval towns was significant was because a lot of those towns had aspects that influenced the modern concept of liberty. Even though these towns had aspects that influenced the modern concept of liberty there were many aspects of these towns that were definitely not freedom oriented.