Rudnichuk A. Sociocultural development of German cities during XIV-XV centuries.

The question of urbanization is one of the most important in the field of studying the Middle Ages, because cities became the foundation of Europe's civilizational development, created its modern appearance and became the center of political, cultural, and social life of the states during the mentioned period. German cities in the XIV-XV cent. undergo significant changes, particularly in the social and cultural spheres, which affected not only the development of the Holy Roman Empire, but also other states. Certain aspects of the late medieval German city development, such as creation of universities and the formation of separate social strata were considered by Ukrainian historiography only tangentially. Accordingly, there is a need for a more detailed study of socio-cultural transformations in German cities during XIV-XV cent., as well as focusing on such separate, less-studied aspects as the formation and social status of outburghers and paleburghers; more detailed consideration of ethnic minorities legal status on these territories, in particular the Jewish population; changes in the attitude towards children, childhood and women; significant role of cities in the formation and development of German universities; social composition of students and their representation by the citizenry; reflection of social elements in the context of the cultural development of German cities during late Middle Ages, in particular in fine arts, architecture, sculpture and literary works.