Middle Ages Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Trade and economy=== {{see also|Saqaliba}} [[File:MΓΌnze Gold Solidus Theudebert I um 534 (obverse).jpg|thumb|left|alt=A coin depicting a man's highly stylised crowned head|Gold [[Solidus (coin)|solidus]] of the [[Austrasia]]n king [[Theudebert I]] (r. 533β47/48)]] As the migrations and conquests disrupted trade networks throughout the old Roman lands, goods from long-range trade were replaced with local products. Non-local goods appearing in the archaeological record are usually luxury goods or metalworks.{{sfn|Wickham|2009|pp=218β219}} In the 7th and {{nowrap|8th centuries}}, new commercial networks were developing in northern Europe. Goods like furs, [[walrus ivory]] and amber were delivered from the Baltic region to western Europe, triggering the establishment of [[Road toll (historical)|toll]] stations and conflicts over their control.{{sfn|Collins|2010|pp=347β349}} In the post-Roman kingdoms, [[base metal]] [[Coining (mint)|coinage]] nearly ceased but Roman bronze coins remained in circulation. Although gold coins were struck, they were mainly spent for extraordinary expenditures, such as the purchase of land or luxury goods. A shift from gold coinage to the mint of silver pennies began in the late {{nowrap|7th century}}, not independently of the cessation of Byzantine subsidy payments to the Lombards and Franks. The elites' new emphasis on Christian charity also increased the demand for coins of lower value.{{sfn|Naismith|2023|pp=15, 227β228, 236β237, 268β271}} The flourishing Islamic economies' constant demand for fresh labour force and raw materials opened up a new market for Europe around 750. Europe emerged as a major supplier of [[house slave]]s and [[Mamluk|slave soldiers]] for Al-Andalus, northern Africa and the [[Levant]].{{sfn|Collins|2010|p=354}}{{sfn|McCormick|2010|pp=753β754, 763}} In addition, timber, fur and arms were delivered from Europe to the Mediterranean, while Europe imported spices, medicine, incense, and silk.{{sfn|McCormick|2010|pp=708β733}} The large rivers connecting distant regions facilitated the expansion of transcontinental trade.{{sfn|McCormick|2010|pp=791β792}} Contemporaneous reports indicate that Anglo-Saxon merchants visited fairs at Paris, pirates preyed on tradesman on the Danube, and Eastern Frankish merchants reached as far as [[Zaragoza]] in Al-Andalus.{{sfn|McCormick|2010|pp=670β677}} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page