What was the most distinctive feature of twelfth-century urban life?

Question

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The most distinctive feature of twelfth-century urban life was the opportunities for vertical social mobility. This period saw the emergence of a new urban middle class consisting of merchants, craftsmen, and other skilled workers who could rise through the ranks of society and accumulate wealth and power. This was a marked departure from the social hierarchy dominated by a closed aristocracy of patricians that characterized earlier urban life. The nobles and great landlords did move to towns, but this was not as distinctive a feature as the rise of the urban middle class. Artisans and craftspeople were important in urban life, but they did not dominate urban government. Overseas trade did not decline in this period; in fact, it expanded as new trade routes were opened up.

What Was the Most Distinctive Feature of Twelfth-Century Urban Life