Case studies: economic life compared

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They are two contrasting medieval economies — Europe rural and catching up, the Abbasids urban, rich and globally connected — ideal for Paper 2 comparison.

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The European system where peasants (often serfs) farmed a lord's land in return for protection, mostly self-sufficient with little buying or selling.

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The spread of new crops (rice, sugar, cotton, citrus) plus advanced irrigation like qanats, which raised yields and fed huge cities.

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The covered market at the heart of an Islamic city, with a street for each trade and a muhtasib inspector checking weights and honesty.

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The post-1000 boom in trade and town life driven by better harvests and safer routes, reviving Europe's cash economy.

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Europe traded mainly the Mediterranean and Baltic (regional); the Abbasids dominated the Silk Road and Indian Ocean (intercontinental).

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A written promise to pay money in another city, developed mainly by Italian bankers in the 1200s-1300s so merchants need not carry gold.

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An Islamic written order to pay — the root of the English word 'cheque' — used in the Abbasid economy from around the 900s.

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Florence, Venice and Genoa grew rich on trade and lending, laying the base for later families like the Medici, who financed kings and popes.

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Christianity banned usury (interest), restricting European lending; Islam also banned interest but built commercial law that actively helped trade.

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The Abbasid Caliphate — earlier agricultural revolution, huge cities, dominant trade routes and advanced banking — though Europe closed the gap by 1400.

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Use themed paragraphs (farming, trade, banking, religion) covering both sides, then reach a judgement on relative prosperity.