Other reasons for immigration in the Medieval era
In the 15th century approximately one in every 10 people in England was foreign-born, and in London it was one in six. People came for many different reasons and everyone had their own story. Apart from Skilled workmen and craftspeople. and craftspeople, the most common causes for migration were:
Bankers and merchants
From the 1220s, wealthy banking families from In the Middle Ages, the whole of northern Italy including the cities of Milan and Florence. Today it is a smaller region centred around Milan. in what is now Italy began to set up in London, lending money to kings such as Edward I who used it for wars and castle building in Wales. They replaced the Jewish moneylenders who were eventually expelled when they were no longer needed.
At the same time, German merchants from the An organisation of Northern German ports that formed an association to control and protect trade. (who traded between northern European cities) set up a trading settlement called the The walled communities which were trading bases where Hansa merchants lived and worked. There was one in London and others in King's Lynn and Boston. on the banks of the river Thames in London. It was a community with its own chapel and accommodation. The king gave these bankers and merchants a Charter in 1303, allowing them to trade in wool and other goods at reduced tax rates. There were also Spanish and Portuguese wine merchants in some English ports.
Child trafficking
There was a dark trade in enslaved young people from Iceland centred around the ports of Bristol and Hull. Some were kidnapped from their homes by English sailors, while others were sold by their poor and penniless parents. They were brought to England by force and then sold, often to artisans who used them as servants or labourers. Records show that there were Icelandic children in several towns in the English Midlands.
Wealthy immigrants
Some foreigners who came to settle were from the nobility and royalty. They included foreign Someone of high rank with a title., some of them A person living outside their own homeland as a result of war, famine or persecution., arriving under Crown protection. When foreign princesses arrived to marry kings, they brought many relatives and attendants who settled with them. Migrants with good connections could get In the Middle Ages, a document signed by the king, granting naturalisation and citizens' rights to a foreign born person. from the King, granting them the right to stay.
Servants and labourers
Servants and labourers were, by far, the largest group which came to work across England. Many of them were from Ireland, Scotland and France. Households in the towns and artisans’ workshops all over the country depended on foreign labour.
More guides on this topic
- Migration to Britain c1000 to c2010 overview - OCR A
- Medieval 1000-1500 overview - OCR A
- Experiences of immigrants in the Medieval era - OCR A
- Impact of immigration in the Medieval era - OCR A
- Immigration in the Early Modern era, 1500-1750 overview - OCR A
- Reasons for immigration in the Early Modern era, 1500-1750 - OCR A
- Experiences of immigrants in the Early Modern era, 1500-1750 - OCR A
- Impact of immigration in the Early Modern era, 1500-1750 - OCR A
- Immigration in the Industrial era, 1750-1900 overview - OCR A
- Reasons for immigration in the Industrial era, 1750-1900 - OCR A
- Experiences of immigrants in the Industrial era 1750-1900 - OCR A
- Impact of immigration in the Industrial era 1750-1900 - OCR A
- Immigration in the Modern era 1900 - present overview - OCR A
- Reasons for immigration in the Modern Era 1900 - present - OCR A
- Experiences of immigrants in the Modern era, 1900 - present - OCR A
- Impact of immigration in the Modern Era 1900 - present - OCR A
- Migration to Britain c1000 to c2010 - exam preparation - OCR A
