Urban and Rural popular culture

Question 1

What was urban culture like during this time period ?

Answer 1

Big population growth and movement to rural areas

London 1500s - 60000
London 1800 - 1 Million +

Italian cities 1500 - 10.5 Million
Italian cities 1600 - 13.3 Million

Question 2

What were some public displays of urban culture ?

Answer 2

Processions and Pageants by guilds or even royal coronations

Marking of holy days - E.g Sunday processions in malaga

Broadsides and ballads were popular ways of sharing gossip detailing the acts of criminals

Question 3

What were some private displays of urban culture ?

Answer 3

Musical performances - servants singing songs or playing instruments

Printing made books common - Germany 1598-1524 the publication of books increased 7 fold

Question 4

What was rural culture like during this period ?

Answer 4

90 % of the population lived in the countryside

Festivals such as Mayday shared culture via drinking , feasting and dancing

Other events such as harvest festivals and All saints honoured the dead

Question 5

What are some reasons why the rural culture was less sophisticated ?

Answer 5

Lower literacy rates

Less access to books - printing was slow to reach the countryside

Homes and gatherings were smaller - usually held in taverns or ale houses