Germany's population grows, despite the political chaos of the Hohenstaufen period, from an estimated eight million in 1200 to about fourteen million in 1300, and the number of towns increases tenfold.

The most heavily urbanized areas of Germany are located in the south and the west.

Towns often develop a degree of independence, but many are subordinate to local rulers or the emperor.

Colonization of the east also continues in the thirteenth century, most notably through the efforts of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, a society of soldier-monks.

German merchants also begin trading extensively on the Baltic.