Define what is meant by town in your general introduction?Great BritainIt is believed, thanks to archaeological finds, that most British towns had a population of 500 to 1,000 people . Not as much as today, but since the economic premise of a city is a concentration of population; the majority carried out various non-agricultural activities. In Britain, very few towns exceeded a population of 5,000, which may seem insignificant compared to many towns across Europe, but by 1300, just under 5% of the British population resided in urban cities and 10% in denser cities. However, at the same time, in northern Italy, the percentage of the population living in cities exceeded 20%. Therefore, the study of British cities and urban crafts, commerce and industry could potentially provide greater insight into earlier continental urbanization in Europe. (Richards, nd) In the 9th century, King Alfred was instrumental in the development of burhs. A burh was a fortified town which grew in importance as military, religious and administrative centers in Norman England. Commerce was at the center of these burhs. Towns in coastal areas became trade routes for wool exported to Europe, with Flanders for example being a very large consumer. Cities like Lincoln and York, located along major rivers, also played a role in the export and import of goods, which contributed to the city's growth. There was a significant difference between early towns and rural villages. The rural population produced the basic necessities of daily life intended for consumption and the urban dwellers manufactured goods intended for sale. Crafts and industry have reached new levels. Therefore, this period was the most important for the development of society. He would first appear later...... middle of paper ......tury, Flanders had developed a regular trade and the town counts were beginning to hold their own. at six fairs throughout the year increasing their economy. England and Flanders enjoyed close diplomatic and economic relations during the Middle Ages. Trade in Europe was a major cause of the city's growth, boosting commerce by providing larger markets and producing goods that merchants could sell. Geography and rivers were an important factor; ensure that items of commerce can be transported. Wool merchants, for example, used boats from the coast to inland Flanders and had to pay taxes to the regional lords whose lands they passed through. Flanders' economic success is based on the export of fine woolen cloth. This was important to many English towns, as many lords had evicted peasants from their lands in order to raise sheep to meet the demand for English wool..