Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T02:11:42.113Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Rural Europe

from PART II - ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENTS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

Christopher Allmand
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool
Get access

Summary

the European countryside in the fifteenth century was more sparsely populated than at any time since about 1150. This fact has dominated historical perceptions of the period. The ‘demographic crisis’ is seen as an all-pervading influence, having its origins around 1300 in fundamental problems of over-population, overextension of cultivation and ecological imbalances. The crisis began with the famines and plagues of the fourteenth century, and its effects persisted in some countries after 1500. This chapter is based on the assumption that this view of a ‘demographic crisis’ helps our understanding of the fifteenth century, but that excessive dependence on it leads to a distorted and incomplete picture, and after examining the crisis we will turn to alternative interpretations, additions and modifications.

the demographic crisis

The population of most European countries suffered a heavy death toll in the fourteenth century, and after 1400 epidemics of plague and other diseases continued to cause bouts of high mortality. These were less virulent and more localised than the initial Black Death of 1348–9, but evidence from Tuscany, England and the Low Countries suggests that most places experienced between eight and twelve serious epidemics in the fifteenth century. Relatively small numbers of children were recorded for each married couple; for example, in the Lyons region from a mean of 3.9 children mentioned in each will of the 1320s, the figure diminished to 1.9 in the 1420s. Such statistics need to be treated with caution, though the general message of a shortage of children is repeated too consistently to be explained in terms of under-reporting. Small families could reflect simply another aspect of mortality, the vulnerability of infants and children to disease, but are likely to derive also from such factors as changes in the age of marriage.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abel, W. (1955), Die Wüstungen des ausgehenden Mittelalters, 2nd edn, Stuttgart
Abel, W. (1980), Agricultural’fluctuations in Europe. From the thirteenth to the twentieth centuries, London (originally published as Agrarkrisen und Agrarkonjunktur, 3rd edn, Hamburg (1978)).
Astill, G.G. and Grant, A. (eds.) (1988), The countryside of medieval England, Oxford
Aston, T.H. and Philpin, C.H.E. (eds.) (1985), The Brenner debate, Cambridge
Aymard, M. and Bresc, H. (1975), ‘Nourritures et consommation en Sicile entre XIVe et XVIIIe siècle’, Annales: économies, sociétés, civilisations 30 Google Scholar
Bailey, M. (1989), A marginal economy? East Anglian Breckland in the later Middle Ages, Cambridge
Baratier, E. (1961), La démographie provençale du XIIIe au XVIe siècle, Paris
Beresford, M. W. and Hurst, J. G. (1971), Deserted medieval villages, London
Biraben, J.-N. (1975), Les hommes et la peste en France et dans les pays européens et méditerranéens, Paris
Blanchard, I. (1986), ‘The continental European cattle trade, 1400– 1600’, Economic History Review 2nd series 39 Google Scholar
Blickle, P. (1975), ‘The economic, social and political background of the 12 articles of the Swabian peasants of 1525’, Journal ofPeasant Studies 3 Google Scholar
Blockmans, W.P. (1980), ‘The social and economic effects of the plague in the Low Countries’, Revue belge de philologie et d’histoire 58 Google Scholar
Blum, J. (1957), ‘The rise of serfdom in eastern Europe’, American Historical Review 62 Google Scholar
Bois, G. (1984), The crisis of feudalism. Economy and society in eastern Normandy, c. 1300– 1550, Cambridge (originally published as Crise du féodalisme, Paris (1976))
Boutruche, R. (1947), La crise d’une société. Seigneurs et paysans du Bordelais pendant la Guerre de Cent Ans, Paris
Brown, J. C. (1982), In the shadow of Florence. Provincial society in Renaissance Pescia, Oxford
Campbell, B.M.S. and Overton, M. (eds.) (1991), Land, labour and livestock: historical studies in European agricultural productivity, Manchester
D’Archimbaud, G.D. (1980), Les fouilles de Rougiers. Contribution à l’archéologie de l’habitat rural médiéval en pays méditerranéen, Paris
Day, J. (1975), ‘Malthus démenti? Sous-peuplement chronique et calamités démographiques en Sardaigne au bas moyen-âge’, Annales: économies, sociétés, civilisations 30 Google Scholar
De Vries, J. (1974), The Dutch rural economy in the Golden Age, 1500– 1700, London
Derville, A. (1987), ‘Dîmes, rendements du blé et révolution agricole dans le nord de la France au moyen âge’, Annales: économies, sociétés, civilisations 42 Google Scholar
Dufourcq, Ch.E. and Gautier-Dalché, J. (1976), Histoire économique et sociale de lEspagne chrétienne au moyen âge, Paris
Dupâquier, J. (ed.) (1988), Histoire de la population française, I, Paris
Dyer, C. (1989), Standards of living in the later Middle Ages. Social change in England c. 1200– 1520, Cambridge
Epstein, S.R. (1991), ‘Cities, regions and the late medieval crisis: Sicily and Tuscany compared’, Past & Present 130 Google Scholar
Epstein, S.R. (1992), An island for itself. Economic development and social change in late medieval Sicily, Cambridge
Fourquin, G. (1964), Les campagnes de la région Parisienne à la fin du moyen âge, Paris
Freedman, P. (1991), The origins of peasant servitude in medieval Catalonia, Cambridge
Genicot, L. (1966), ‘Crisis: from the Middle Ages to modern times’, in Postan, M.M., (ed.), The Cambridge economic history of Europe, I, 2nd edn, Cambridge Google Scholar
Genicot, L. (1990), Rural communities in the medieval west, Baltimore
Gissel, S. et al. (1981), Desertion and land colonization in the Nordic countries, c. 1300– 1600, Stockholm
Glick, T. F. (1970), Irrigation and society in medieval Valencia, Cambridge, Mass.
Harvey, P.D.A. (1984), The peasant land market in medieval England, Oxford
Hatcher, J. (1977), Plague, population and the English economy, 1348– 1530, London
Heers, J. (1990), L’occident aux XIVe et XVe siècles, 5th edn, Paris
Herlihy, D. (1965), ‘Population, plague and social change in rural Pistoia, 1201– 1430’, Economic History Review 2nd series 18 Google Scholar
Herlihy, D. (1967), Medieval and Renaissance Pistoia, New Haven and London
Herlihy, D. and Klapisch-Zuber, C. (1978), Les Toscans et leur familles, Paris; trans. as Tuscans and their families, London (1985)
Hilton, R.H. (1973), Bondmen made free, London
Hilton, R.H. (1975), The English peasantry in the later Middle Ages, Oxford
Hoffman, R.C. (1989), Land, liberties and lordship in a later medieval countryside. Agrarian structures and change in the duchy of Wroçlaw, Philadelphia
Hoppenbrouwers, P.C.M. (1992), ‘Een Middeleeuwse Samenleving. Het Land van Heusden (ca. 1360-ca. 1515)’, Afdeling Agrarische Geschiedenis Landbouwhogeschool, Bijdragen 32 Google Scholar
Jones, P.J. (1968), ‘From manor to Mezzaddria: a Tuscan case study in the medieval origins of modern agrarian society’, in Rubinstein, N., (ed.), Florentine studies, London Google Scholar
Klapisch, C. and Demonet, M. (1972), ‘“A uno pane e uno vino”. La famille rurale Toscane au début du XVe siècle’, Annales: économies, sociétés, civilisations 27 Google Scholar
L’approvisionnement des villes de l’Europe occidentale au moyen âge et aux temps modernes (1985), Centre Culturel de l’Abbaye de Flaran, 5 e Journées d’Histoire, Auch
Lamb, H.H. (1977), Climate, present, past and future, II: Climatic history and the future, London
Langdon, J.L. (1986), Horses, oxen, and technological innovation, Cambridge
Lartigaut, J. (1978), Les campagnes du Quercy après la Guerre de Cent Ans (vers 1440– vers 1500), Toulouse
Laube, A. (1975), ‘Precursors of the peasant war: “Bundschuh” and “Armer Konrad” – popular movements on the eve of the Reformation’, Journal of Peasant Studies 3 Google Scholar
Le RoyLadurie, E. (1978), ‘En haute Normandie: Malthus ou Marx’, Annales: économies, sociétés, civilisations 33 Google Scholar
Le RoyLadurie, E. (1969), Les paysans de Languedoc, Paris
Le RoyLadurie, E. (1974), ‘L’histoire immobile’, Annales: économies, sociétés, civilisations 29 Google Scholar
Le RoyLadurie, E. (1972), Times of feast, times of famine, London
Leguai, A. (1982), ‘Les révoltes rurales dans le royaume de France, du milieu du XIVe siècle à la fin du XVe’, Le moyen âge 88 Google Scholar
Les communautés villageoises en Europe occidentale du moyen âge aux temps modernes (1984), Centre Culturel de l’Abbaye de Flaran, 4e Journées d’Histoire, Auch
Lewis, P.S. (1971), The recovery of France in the fifteenth century, London
Lorcin, M.-T. (1974), Les campagnes de la région Lyonnaise aux XIVe et XVe siècles, Lyons
Mackay, A. (1972), ‘Popular movements and pogroms in fifteenth-century Castile’, Past & Present 55 Google Scholar
Mayhew, A. (1973), Rural settlement and farming in Germany, London
Mazzi, M.S. and, Raveggi, S. (1983), Gli uomini e le cose nelle campagne fiorentine del quattrocento, Florence
Menjot, D. (1984), ‘Notes sur le marché de l7’alimentation et la consommation alimentaire à Murcie à la fin du moyen âge’, in Menjot, D., (ed.), Manger et boire au moyen âge, Nice, I Google Scholar
Miller, E. (1991), Agrarian history of England and Wales, III: 1350– 1500, Cambridge
Mollat, M. (1986), The poor in the Middle Ages, New Haven
Neveux, H. (1975), ‘Déclin et reprise: la fluctuation biséculaire’, in Duby, G., and Wallon, A., (eds.), Histoire de la France rurale, Paris, II Google Scholar
Neveux, H. (1980), Vie et déclin d’une structure économique, Paris
Orrman, E. (1981), ‘The progress of settlement in Finland during the late Middle Ages’, Scandinavian Economic History Review 29 Google Scholar
Poos, L.R. (1991), A rural society after the Black Death. Essex 1350– 1525, Cambridge
Postan, M.M. (1952), ‘The trade of medieval Europe: the north’, in Postan, M., and Rich, E.E., (eds.), The Cambridge economic history of Europe, II, Cambridge Google Scholar
Postan, M.M. (1966), ‘Medieval agrarian society in its prime. England’, in Postan, M.M., (ed.), The Cambridge economic history of Europe, I, 2nd edn, Cambridge Google Scholar
Wee, H. and Cauwenberghe, E. (eds.) (1978), Productivity of land and agricultural innovation in the Low Countries (1250– 1800), Louvain
Rösener, W. (1992), Peasants in the Middle Ages, Oxford (originally published as Bauern im Mittelalter, Munich (1985))
Scott, T. (1986), Freiburg and the Breisgau, Oxford
Scribner, R. and Benecke, G. (1979), The German peasant war of 1525 – new viewpoints, London
Sivery, G. (1990), Terroirs et communautés rurales dans l’Europe occidentale au moyen âge, Lille
Smith, R. (1988), ‘Human resources’, in Astill, and Grant, (1988)Google Scholar
Stouff, L. (1970), Ravitaillement et alimentation en Provence aux XIVe et XVe siècles, Paris
Tits-Dieuaide, M.-J. (1975), La formation des prix céréalières en Brabant et en Flandre au XVe siècle, Brussels
Toch, M. (1991), ‘Ethics, emotion and self-interest: rural Bavaria in the later Middle Ages’, Journal of Medieval History 17 Google Scholar
Vander Wee, H. (1963), ‘Typologie des crises et changements de structure aux Pays-Bas (XVe– XVIe siècles)’, Annales: économies, sociétés, civilisations 18 Google Scholar
Verhulst, A. (1990), Précis d’histoire rurale de la Belgique, Brussels
Vicens Vives, J. (1964), An economic history of Spain, Princeton
Villages désertés et histoire économique, XIe– XVIIIe siècle (1965), Paris
Wettinger, G. (1982), ‘Agriculture in Malta in the later Middle Ages’, in Buhagier, M., (ed.), Proceedings of history week, 1981, Malta Google Scholar
Wunder, H. (1983), ‘Serfdom in later medieval and early modern Germany’, in Aston, T.H., Coss, P., Dyer, Christopher and Thirsk, Joan (eds.), Social relations and ideas, Cambridge Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×