The journey was treacherous. As he left the protective walls of his German city, he felt a knot in his stomach. The roads were muddy, narrow, and often controlled by local lords demanding steep tolls, or worse, bandits hiding in the dense forests. "Keep the strongbox hidden," his father had warned.
Selling the goods to a local nobleman's steward, Johann felt a thrill. He had made a profit. He realized that while the lords lived in their castles and the peasants worked the land, it was the growing like himself who were starting to connect the fragmented world of medieval Europe. He couldn't wait to return to Cologne to tell his father of the new world opening up. Key Themes Covered: gdz po istorii srednikh vekov agibalova
After weeks of travel, he finally reached the crowded, noisy, and narrow streets of the fair in France. The air smelled of roasted meat and livestock. He traded his wool for spices brought from the far East and bright Italian silks. The journey was treacherous