1. In the XIII century there were over 160 towns
in England.
2. Before the XIII century there were no universities in England. The oldest
university was founded in Oxford in 1667. It remained the principal centre of
science for centuries. It was famous for the superior learning of its
professors. It had a great influence on the development of English culture.
3. Sheep breeding became especially popular in the English eastern and northern
counties in the XIII century. It was soon discovered that it was easier to grow
wool on the sheep's back than to grow grain on the poor lands. There were many
foreign markets which were ready to buy English wool. It meant that European
trade was developing.
4. There were important changes in the English countryside in the XIII century.
There were the new classes of gentry, nobles and small landowners. There were
many armed conflicts between the peasants and the feudals. There was one reason
for that: the lords tended to monopolize the use of common lands. It is natural
that the parliament supported the rich because only the top layer of the
population was represented there.