Define what is meant by a city in your general introduction? Great Britain It is believed, through archaeological findings, that most British cities had a population of between 500 and 1000 inhabitants. Not as many as today, but since then the economic premise of a city is the concentration of the population; the majority were engaged in a variety of non-agricultural occupations. In Britain, very few towns exceeded populations of 5,000, this may seem insignificant compared to many towns across Europe, but around 1300 just under 5% of the British population resided in urban towns and 10% in the densest towns. However, in the same period, in Northern Italy, the percentage of the population residing in urban centers exceeded 20%. Therefore, the study of British cities and urban crafts, trade and industry can perhaps provide greater insight into earlier continental urbanization in Europe. (Richards, n.d.) In the 9th century King Alfred was instrumental in the development of burh. A burh was a fortified town, whose importance grew as a military, religious and administrative center in Norman England. Trade was the focus of these burhs. Cities in coastal areas became trade routes for wool exported to Europe, for example Flanders being a large consumer. Cities such as Lincoln and York, along major rivers, also played a role in the export and import of goods, which contributed to the city's growth. There was an important difference between early cities and rural villages. The rural population produced the essentials of daily life for consumption and the citizens produced goods for sale. Crafts and industry reached new heights. Consequently, this period was very important for the development of society. It would seem for the first time mor...... middle of paper ......turo, Flanders had established regular trade and the city accounts were beginning to withstand six fairs during the year increasing their economy. England and Flanders had close diplomatic and economic ties in the Middle Ages. Trade in Europe was a major cause of the city's growth, stimulating trade by providing larger markets and producing goods that merchants could sell. Geography and rivers were an important factor; ensure that articles of commerce can be transported. Wool merchants, for example, used boats from the coast to cities in the interior of Flanders and had to pay taxes to the regional lords whose lands they passed through. Flanders' economic success was based on the export of fine woolen cloth. This was important to many English towns, as many lords had expelled farmers from their lands to raise sheep to meet the demand for English wool..