Which groups of people were most responsible for the founding and expansion of new towns as centers of commerce?

University scholars and students

For a serf who had escaped a manor, what was the significance of living in a town for 'a year and a day'?

They were given a plot of farmland.

They were required to return to the manor.

A quiet, spacious settlement with large gardens

A heavily fortified military base centered on a castle

A crowded and busy center with workshops and markets

A temporary camp that moved with the seasons

It weakened the system as serfs left for towns.

It strengthened lords by giving them new taxes.

It had no significant impact on life on the manor.

It caused lords to sell their manors to merchants.

They were primarily places for religious worship.

They served as marketplaces for merchants and artisans to sell goods.

They were established as military outposts by local lords.

They were designated areas for royal government buildings.