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Troyes Research Paper

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In the year 1250, European citizens traveled from near and far to the quaint French town of Troyes in hopes of landing in what was known as the “Hot Fair.” Troyes, with Paris to the west, Châlons to the north, Verdun to the northeast, Dijon to the southeast, and Auxerre and Sens to the south, was a major commercial center at the time (Gies 23). The small town, surrounded by woodland, contained ancient Roman architecture, providing it with immense character. Not only did Troyes have an incredible interior, but the outskirts did as well, complete with gardens and a twenty foot tall limestone wall. With castles and monasteries, along with fields and livestock, Troyes was quite the medieval city. An egalitarian society is defined as “a society …show more content…

Women were expected to purchase only the best quality items. The trust of the man of the household was placed in the hands of his wife, supporting the idea that women were given similar power as men in Troyes (Gies 49). Although city women were considered better off than those who lived in the country, they both had the same amount of power, and were held up to similar standards. For instance, both country and city women were expected to maintain the gardens, growing vegetables such as lettuce, sorrel, shallots, beets, scallions, and herbs (Gies 51) Women were also respected as members of the community in medieval Troyes. While they were always oppressed, as in any other time period, social status played a large role. However, the fact that social ranking was important shows the non-egalitarian side of Troyes. Nevertheless, women were seen as important and worthy within their families. Additionally, so long as a woman was unmarried, she had the power to obtain her own land, and in certain cases, inherit property from her parents (Gies 52). Though the role women played in Troyes’ society was mainly egalitarian, the community did have its flaws when it came to equality of wealth. While most jobs offered to men were also available to women, they were paid a significantly less amount. At the time, an Englishman claimed, “If this is a manor where there is no dairy, it is always good to have …show more content…

The people of Troyes were all expected to pay certain taxes such as the head tax, labor service, tax at will, and the marriage tax (Gies 199). Even though this was an example of egalitarianism within the town, there were many other examples that argued the opposite. For instance, the government was not “democratic.” In fact, most people did not have a say. Wealth and status played a large role in who was granted political power in Troyes. The ultimate power was given to few wealthy, middle class families who, “[monopolized] political power” (Gies 200). Additionally, not all members of the town were considered part of the commune. If you were a knight, clergy, bishop, canon, priest, or monk, then you could not take part. However, if a clerk or a knight were to join or start a business, they were obligated to join the commune. In more ways than one, as clearly outlined in the Gies’ writing, town government in Troyes was not equal given that the people clearly discriminated based on religion and wealth.
The medieval city of Troyes was partially an egalitarian society as it maintained fairness in some aspects, even though it neglected equality in others. Women were presented with similar opportunities as men, while the egalitarianism of town government was skewed based on religion and

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