The Change Of Trade Routes And The Economic Transformation Of Western Europe From Middle Ages To Modern Times

The trade routes of the Medieval Western Europe were gradually revived and opened up accompanied by the revival of the western business in the tenth and eleventh century. Many trade routes had been formed in the fourteenth century and they were very bustling. During the fifteenth and sixteenth century, the trade routes of Western Europe had been changed greatly due to the opening up of the oversea business routes, the economic transformation of Western society and the progress of the scientific technology. The change of trade routes had great impact on the economic transformation of Western Europe from Middle Ages to modern society. It influenced the transfer of the economic center of Western Europe, the transformation of commercial technology and the development of industry and agriculture.This thesis intend to lay the change of trade routes in the integrative frame of the economic development of Western society and carry a comprehensive analysis on it through the study of the form of the trade routes of the Medieval Western Europe and the change of trade routes in the fifteenth and sixteenth century, so as to probe into the relationship between the change of trade routes and the economic transformation of Western Europe from Middle Ages to Early Modern Society. Except for the preface and the epilogue the whole thesis was divided into four parts to discuss.The preface discussed the research aim and meaning of this thesis and introduced the domestic and international general research on this subject in these few years.The first part expatiated the revival and opening up of the important trade routes of Western Europe in the Middle Ages. From the tenth to the fourteenth century, two trade centers, the Mediterranean area and the area of the North Sea and Baltic Sea, formed in Western Europe. The hub that linked up these two areas was the Champagne Fair. Besides, this part also analyzed thetransportation condition of the Medieval trade routes.The second part mainly expounded the change of trade routes of Western Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth century. The fifteenth and sixteenth century were the important change periods of the economic transformation of Western Europe from Middle Ages to Early Modern Society, and the trade routes changed a lot too. The traditional trade routes in the Mediterranean area began to decline, the main trade routes transfered into the area of the Atlantic Ocean. The trade routes cut across the Balkan Peninsula, the Mediterranean area, the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean and the center Europe. At the same time, new trade routes with Aisa, America and Africa also had been opened up.The third part of the thesis analyzed the economic and technical factors that influenced the change of the trade routes. The fourth part expounded the impacts of the change of the trade routes on the economic transformation of Western Europe from Middle Ages to Early Modern Society. These impacts were distributed into four aspects. First of all, the change of trade routes provided a market all over the world for the development of commodity economy of Western Europe. Second, it urged the transfer of the economic center of Western Europe. Third, it influenced the transformation of the commercial technology.Fourth, it impacted the development and transformation of the industry and agriculture of Western Europe.The epilogue part summed up the whole thesis.