Technikatörténeti szemle 11. (1979)

TANULMÁNYOK - Endrei Walter: Industrial revolution in the middle ages?

their fingers on this extraordinary phenomenon, even if the classification seems to be wanton.

When we consider the achievements of the mediaeval technical revolution at its peak, as regards their state of development, they show an astounding heterogenity. There are some that are restricted to drawing the final consequences of antique knowledge (such as the machines with treadle, textile-tools); in other words these just surpass the needs of slave-society. There are others that mirror the true image of feudal society (crushing and fulling mills, harness). Finally there are some which already bear the mark of bourgois society. This can only be explained by the fact that technical development, — as a result of its speeding up — first caught up with social-economic development in the 10th—11th centuries, then after a short period of harmony in the 12th— 13th centuries surpassed it, and this no doubt caused a serious discrepancy resulting in a deep crisis in the 14th century.

Please permit me to give you a few examples of technologically so to say overdeveloped innovations that, as it appears to me, do not fit into the overall social-economic picture of the period. The silk-throwing filatoio invented in the 13th century is of a mechanical degree of complexity which exceeds that of the jenny or the waterframe. Whilst the jenny was a simple multi-spindle spinning wheel that made up for the omission of the Middle Ages, it remained the utensil of cottages even in the 19th century. The silk-throwing twisting frame with its several hundred water driven spindles, synchronized throwing and bobbin building motion that did not claim but a few persons’ attendance thus anticipating the archetype of a modern factory. It is no wonder that Arkwright obtained inspiration for his invention in the twisting mill of 25 000 spindles of Derby.

Another case to mention, — a basic idea without antecedents at all, is the skeleton-construction building technology which emerges in its full maturity in the 13th century and to which we owe gothic naves of nearly 50 meters height and the cupola of Brunelleschi.

The new principle of static divides the load-distribution of the building into lines of force, thrusts from which a rib-vault construction is created taking over the role of support from the walls. This makes it possible to establish monumental and bright inner spaces. They exceeded the needs of mediaeval towns and were meant admittedly only for buildings of prestige. They also put a heavy financial load on the enterprising communities; as a result the cathedrals of Beauvais, Prague, Cologne, Milan, Ulm and many others, remained gigantic fragments, warning mementos to the obligatory harmony of social basis and superstructure. It is more than a metaphore that the 19th century has finished them: that era in which an architect from Liverpool has built, — as the first in the world, — columns, arcades, roof work and window mullions of gothic outline, in skeleton construction of cast iron to be followed by the Christal Palace and the Tour d’Eiffel.

To end up, just a few words on clockwork. The time measuring instrument of agrarian societies is the calendar; that of bourgois society is the clock. Without the first one, it is impossible to plough and sow in time; without the latter there is no industrial work or motorized transport. According to Mumford, the key instrument of industrial revolution is not the steam engine but the clock. The foliot escapement was invented at the beginning of the 14th century and we divide the hour by 60 minutes and the minutes into 60 secondes since 1345.

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