Geography: Route-Finding

Finding Your Way: Mapping Late Medieval Movement in Europe

For this project you are making two separate maps, each one showing the route between two cities. You are free to collaborate, but please draw your own maps.

The year is 1423 – hurrah, a Jubilee year! Your Task: Find the best overland route for a traveler from _ who wishes to get to __________ . [You were assigned cities in class – see the numbers below if you need a reminder.] Remember that you are travelling overland. That means no ocean-going vessels across seas or along coasts. The one exception is crossing the English Channel. Yes, use the rivers.

Your map must include the following:

At least 10 cities along the way (so 8 plus the two termini).
Mark the major rivers you crossed and where.
Name any mountain pass you used to cross the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, or Balkans – THE PASS NAME not the mountain name.
One Abbey which offered you hospitality. Be sure to record what order of monks.
The site of a Holy Relic which you visited – always good to gather some spiritual merit.
Identify 5 political ‘states’ (kingdoms, duchies, bishoprics, etc.) through which you traveled on your journey.

If you want to Vulpinize your maps CLICK HERE

HOW did people travel:

LAND: Moving things around is hard – really hard. Long-distance travel by land was expensive, slow, and difficult. Until the late 18th century, the vast majority of people never moved more than about 5 miles from where they were born.

Land travel followed the ancient Roman roads, severely damaged, until, from the 12th century they start to rehabilitate them.
Lists of journey were used, rarely road maps, which begin to spread in the 14th century. Oral information was the most used and was the most valid and current.
It was common to travel in groups and heavily loaded: goods, food feed, weapons, tools, tents, clothing, money, documents, etc. Pilgrims travel lighter.
Travelling was expensive: carriers, suitable and elegant clothing, tolls, tips, lodging, food, veterinaries, etc.
To travel, wine was a more recommendable drink than some unsafe water, especially in the cities.
In the Middle Ages vehicles with wheels like carts were useful for short distances but they were not used on long trips due to the poor condition of the roads.
The saddle was very much used: horse, mule or donkey. Avoids the walking fatigue, allows loading and adapts to rustic roads; normally will not be galloping, or even trot. These are often hired animals.

RIVERS: Anyone who has ever rowed a boat of paddled a canoe can tell you how much easier it is to transport things, and yourself, by mean of water rather than over land. A single horse might pull a cart carrying 2000 lbs of beer to market; that same horse can pull 30 tons of beer loaded on a river-barge. Some of the continental routes that today we do by road, could be done by river (for example along the Rhone and the Ebro, to Zaragoza).

River navigation required toll and it was used mainly for merchandise.
River navigation complements very well both with sea and land routes.
The construction of dams on large rivers will make impossible today this way of travel.

HOW LONG did it take?

The journey lasted from sunrise to sunset, even if they had to go and come back on the same day.
On foot, the average distance a person usually traveled in one day was about 25 kilometers and could even reach 50 or 60 in the case of professional couriers (real athletes).
On horse, the daily journey could be around 60 and 100 kilometers; this means that to cross France could take 12 to 20 days (in good weather and without any difficulties).
In river navigation the speed could be different depending on whether they traveled with or against the current. For example, on the Rhone going from Lyon to Avignon takes 24 hours, while going from Avignon to Lyon takes up to a month.

NOTE: THIS MAP might be worth a glance.

CLICK HERE for a tutorial on drawing a map.

ASSIGNED CITY SETS

Pavia to Antwerp
Geneva to Constantinople
Venice to Szczecin
Chester to Avignon
Hamburg to Rome
Kaunas to Rome
Bruges to Seville

European History

"One of the greatest problems of our time is that many are schooled, but few are educated." – Thomas More

Geography: Route-Finding

Finding Your Way: Mapping Late Medieval Movement in Europe

For this project you are making two separate maps, each one showing the route between two cities. You are free to collaborate, but please draw your own maps.

Your map must include the following:

At least 10 cities along the way (so 8 plus the two termini).

Mark the major rivers you crossed and where.

Name any mountain pass you used to cross the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, or Balkans – THE PASS NAME not the mountain name.

One Abbey which offered you hospitality. Be sure to record what order of monks.

The site of a Holy Relic which you visited – always good to gather some spiritual merit.

Identify 5 political ‘states’ (kingdoms, duchies, bishoprics, etc.) through which you traveled on your journey.

If you want to Vulpinize your maps CLICK HERE

HOW did people travel:

LAND: Moving things around is hard – really hard. Long-distance travel by land was expensive, slow, and difficult. Until the late 18th century, the vast majority of people never moved more than about 5 miles from where they were born.

Land travel followed the ancient Roman roads, severely damaged, until, from the 12th century they start to rehabilitate them.

Lists of journey were used, rarely road maps, which begin to spread in the 14th century. Oral information was the most used and was the most valid and current.

It was common to travel in groups and heavily loaded: goods, food feed, weapons, tools, tents, clothing, money, documents, etc. Pilgrims travel lighter.

Travelling was expensive: carriers, suitable and elegant clothing, tolls, tips, lodging, food, veterinaries, etc.

To travel, wine was a more recommendable drink than some unsafe water, especially in the cities.

In the Middle Ages vehicles with wheels like carts were useful for short distances but they were not used on long trips due to the poor condition of the roads.

The saddle was very much used: horse, mule or donkey. Avoids the walking fatigue, allows loading and adapts to rustic roads; normally will not be galloping, or even trot. These are often hired animals.

River navigation required toll and it was used mainly for merchandise.

River navigation complements very well both with sea and land routes.

The construction of dams on large rivers will make impossible today this way of travel.

HOW LONG did it take?

The journey lasted from sunrise to sunset, even if they had to go and come back on the same day.

On foot, the average distance a person usually traveled in one day was about 25 kilometers and could even reach 50 or 60 in the case of professional couriers (real athletes).

On horse, the daily journey could be around 60 and 100 kilometers; this means that to cross France could take 12 to 20 days (in good weather and without any difficulties).

In river navigation the speed could be different depending on whether they traveled with or against the current. For example, on the Rhone going from Lyon to Avignon takes 24 hours, while going from Avignon to Lyon takes up to a month.

NOTE: THIS MAP might be worth a glance.

CLICK HERE for a tutorial on drawing a map.

Finding Your Way: Mapping Late Medieval Movement in Europe

For this project you are making two separate maps, each one showing the route between two cities. You are free to collaborate, but please draw your own maps.

Your map must include the following:

At least 10 cities along the way (so 8 plus the two termini).

Mark the major rivers you crossed and where.

Name any mountain pass you used to cross the Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, or Balkans – THE PASS NAME not the mountain name.

One Abbey which offered you hospitality. Be sure to record what order of monks.

The site of a Holy Relic which you visited – always good to gather some spiritual merit.

Identify 5 political ‘states’ (kingdoms, duchies, bishoprics, etc.) through which you traveled on your journey.

If you want to Vulpinize your maps CLICK HERE

HOW did people travel:

LAND: Moving things around is hard – really hard. Long-distance travel by land was expensive, slow, and difficult. Until the late 18th century, the vast majority of people never moved more than about 5 miles from where they were born.

Land travel followed the ancient Roman roads, severely damaged, until, from the 12th century they start to rehabilitate them.

Lists of journey were used, rarely road maps, which begin to spread in the 14th century. Oral information was the most used and was the most valid and current.

It was common to travel in groups and heavily loaded: goods, food feed, weapons, tools, tents, clothing, money, documents, etc. Pilgrims travel lighter.

Travelling was expensive: carriers, suitable and elegant clothing, tolls, tips, lodging, food, veterinaries, etc.

To travel, wine was a more recommendable drink than some unsafe water, especially in the cities.

In the Middle Ages vehicles with wheels like carts were useful for short distances but they were not used on long trips due to the poor condition of the roads.

The saddle was very much used: horse, mule or donkey. Avoids the walking fatigue, allows loading and adapts to rustic roads; normally will not be galloping, or even trot. These are often hired animals.

River navigation required toll and it was used mainly for merchandise.

River navigation complements very well both with sea and land routes.

The construction of dams on large rivers will make impossible today this way of travel.

HOW LONG did it take?

The journey lasted from sunrise to sunset, even if they had to go and come back on the same day.

On foot, the average distance a person usually traveled in one day was about 25 kilometers and could even reach 50 or 60 in the case of professional couriers (real athletes).

On horse, the daily journey could be around 60 and 100 kilometers; this means that to cross France could take 12 to 20 days (in good weather and without any difficulties).

In river navigation the speed could be different depending on whether they traveled with or against the current. For example, on the Rhone going from Lyon to Avignon takes 24 hours, while going from Avignon to Lyon takes up to a month.

NOTE: THIS MAP might be worth a glance.

CLICK HERE for a tutorial on drawing a map.

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