Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T20:06:44.907Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

(c) - Rural society

from 1 - Social change in the thirteenth century

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2008

David Abulafia
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Get access

Summary

RESEARCH carried out over the past few decades no longer allows rural society in the thirteenth century to be described according to the simple supposition that general developments were the same everywhere. Of course, there were fundamental influences that were felt almost everywhere in western Europe by a rural population which represented approximately 90 per cent of the total population at the beginning of the century and 85 per cent towards 1300, figures which emphasise the relative numerical insignificance of city dwellers. One has only to look at the Florentine contado and at Flanders, where the urban population was only about 30 per cent of the total at the end of the thirteenth century, to see that even in heavily urbanised areas a very high proportion of the inhabitants were engaged in rural occupations. In fact, despite consistent features that characterised seigneurial societies at this period, the general factors inducing change sometimes came up against obstacles, and often took on different forms, depending on the region, the level of access to the more important markets, their age-old traditions and the strength of the influence of political institutions.

THE FUNDAMENTAL TRENDS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL SOCIETY

Population growth

The population continued to grow in the thirteenth century, but more unevenly and less strongly than in the past, measured both in time and in space. The growth rate of the population as a whole dropped from approximately 15 per cent to 10 per cent between 1200 and 1300, but rural depopulation reduced this percentage even more in the countryside, and it appears that there was a levelling off of growth in England, as well as in Picardy and in the Ile-de-France.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1999

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. (1935), Agrarkrisen und Agrarkonjunktur in Mitteleuropa von 13. bis zum 19. Jahrhundert, Berlin
Abel, W. (1978), Geschichte der deutschen Landwirtschaft, Stuttgart
Augustini, I.-B. and Palmbooni, E., Bronnen vor de agrarische geschiedenis van de middeleleeuwse graffschap Vlanderen, I: Dokumenten bewaard in het Rijksarchiefte Gent, Ghent (1983)
Bader, K.-S. (19571973) Studien zur Rechtsgeschichte des Mittelalterichen Dorfes, 3 vols., Weimar
Barthélemy, D. (1984), Les deux âges de la seigneurie banale, Paris
Beaumanoir, P. , Coutumes de Beauvaisis, 2 vols., Paris (18991900)
Beugnot, M., Assises de Jérusalem. Recueil des historiens des croisades, Lois, 2 vols., Paris (18411843)
Bizzarri, D., Imbreviature notarili, liber imbreviaturarum Appulliensis notarii comunis Senarum, Fonti per le storia d’Italia, Turin (19348)
Blicke, P. (1984), ‘Les communautés villageoises en Allemagne’, in Flaran, Colloques (1984), no. 4Google Scholar
Bloch, M. (1968), La sociéte féodale, new edn, Paris
Bloch, M. (1911), ‘Blanche de Castille et les serfs de Paris’, Mémoires de la Société pour l’his-toire de Paris et Ile-de-France 38:Google Scholar
Bloch, M. (1988), Les caractères originaux de l’histoire rurale française, repr., preface by Toubert, P., Paris
Bofarully Mascaro, P. , Collection de documentos ineditos del Archivo de la Corona de Aragón, 41 vols., Barcelona (18471910)
Bois, G. (1964), Crise du féodalisme, Paris
Bolton, J.L. (1980), The medieval English economy (1150–1500), London
Bonnassie, P. and Guichard, P. (1984), ‘Les communautés rurales en Catalogne et dans le pays valencien IXe–XVe siècle’, in Flaran, Colloques (1984), no. 4Google Scholar
Boutruche, , (19681970) Seigneurie et féodalité, 2 vols., Paris
Cherubini, G. (1974), Signori contadini borghesi, Florence
Cipolla, C.M. (1957), ‘Per la storia delle terre della “Bassa” Lombarda’, in Studi in onore di A. Sapori, Milan, 1957, 1 Google Scholar
Cocheris, H., Documents relatifs à l’histoire de la Picardie, V: La cartulaire de Guise, Laon (n.d.)
Court roll of Chalgrave manor (1272–1312), ed. Dale, M.K., Streatby (1950)
Curia regis roll of the reign of Henry III, London (1961)
Da Gama Barros, H. (1964), Historia de Administracão Publica em Portugal nos seculos XIII a XV, 1, 2nd edn, ed. de Sousa Soares, T., Lisbon
Darby, H.C. (1936), The medieval Fenland, Cambridge
de Prisches, Charte (France, dép. Nord) (1158) in Cartulaire de la Terre d’Avesnes, ed. Leclercq, M., Avesnessur-Helpe, (1911)
Dollinger, P.h. (1949), L’évolution des classes rurales en Bavière depuis la fin de lépoque carolingi-enne jusqu’au milieu du XIIIe siècle, Paris
Dopsch, A. (1939), Herrschaft und Bauer in der deutschen Kaiserzeit, Jena
Duby, G. (1962), L’économie rurale et la vie des campagnes dans l’occident médiéval, 2 vols., Paris
Duby, G. (1971), La société aux XIe et XIIe siècles dans la région mâconnaise, 2nd edn, Paris
Enquêtes de 1247, Recueil des Histoires des Gaules et de la France, xxiv, Paris (1909)
Espinas, G., Verlinden, C. and Buntinx, J., Privilèges et chartes de la Flandre, I, Brussels (1961)
Evergates, T. (1975), Feudal society in the bailliage of Troyes, Baltimore
Flaran, Colloques (1984, 1987), Les communautés villageoises en Europe occidentale; les revenus de la terre, nos. 4 and 7, Auch
Fossier, R., Chartes de coutumes en Picardie (XI–XIIIe siècles), Paris (1925)
Fossier, R. (1968), La terre et les hommes en Picardie jusqu’à la fin du moyen âge, 2 vols., Paris and Louvain
Fourquin, G. (1976), Lordship and feudalism in the Middle Ages, London
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
Génicot, L. (1968), Le XIIIe siècle européen, Paris
Génicot, L. (1965/1966), ‘L’étendue des exploitations agricoles dans le comté de Namur à la fin du XIIIe siècle’, Etudes rurales 5–6:Google Scholar
Génicot, L. (1993), L’économie rurale namuroise au bas-moyen âge, Louvain
Gieysztor, A. (1964), ‘En Pologne mediévale: problèmes du régime politique et de l’organisation administrative du Xe au XIIIe siècle’, Annali della fondazione per la storia amministrativa 1:Google Scholar
Guérard, B., Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, 4 vols. Paris (1950)
HarenbergE.-J., , Kentner, F. and Dillo, M., Oorkondenboek van Gelre en Zutphen tot 1326, The Hague (1980)
Heers, J. (1974), Le clan familial au moyen âge, Paris
Higounet, C.h. (1975), Paysages et villages neufs, Bordeaux
Hilton, R.H. (1957), ‘A study on the prehistory of English enclosures in the thirteenth century’, in Studi in onore di A. Sapori, Milan, 1Google Scholar
Hilton, R.H. (1983), A medieval society: the west Midlands at the end of the thirteenth century, London
Hoebanx, J.-J. (1952), L’abbaye de Nivelles des origines au XIVe siècle, Brussels
Imberciadori, I., Mezzadria classica toscana con documentazion inedita dal IX al XIV secolo, Florence (1951)
Jones, P.h. (1964), ‘Per la storia agraria italiana nel medioevo. Lineamenti e problemi’, Rivista storica italiana 76:Google Scholar
Jordan, W.C. (1986), From servitude to freedom: manumission in the Senonais in the thirteenth century, Philadelphia
Kominsky, E.A. (1956), Studies in the agrarian history of England in the thirteenth century, Oxford
Kotzschke, R., Quellen sur Geschichte des Ostdeutschen Kolonisation, Leipzig and Berlin (1912)
Le Roy Ladurie, E. (1975), Montaillou, village occitan de 1294 à 1324, Paris
McIntosh, M.K. (1986), Autonomy and community: the royal manor of Havering, 1200–1500, Cambridge
Miller, E. and Hatcher, J. (1978), Medieval England: rural society and economic changes, London
Mollat, M. (1978), Les pauvres au moyen âge, Paris
Persson, K.-G (1988), Pre-industrial economic growth, Oxford
Piccini, G. (1987), ‘Mezzadria et mezzadri en Italie centrale et septentrionale (XIIIe–XVe siècles)’, in Flaran, Colloques (1987), no. 7Google Scholar
Pierarczyk, S.t. (1961), ‘Some notes on the social and economic situation of the Swedish tenants in the XIIIth century’, Scania 27:Google Scholar
Postan, M., et al. (1966), Cambridge economic history of Europe, 1, 2nd edn, Cambridge
Postan, M. (1937), ‘Chronology of labour services’, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 4th series 20:Google Scholar
Prevenier, W., De oorkonden der graven van Vlaanderen (1191-aanvang 1206), Brussels (1964)
Procter, E.S. (1936), ‘The development of Catalan corts in the thirteenth century’, Estudis universitaris catalans, 22:Google Scholar
Raftis, J.A. (1966), Peasant mobility and freedom in medieval England, Montreal
Repgow, E. , Sachsenpiegel, ed. Eckhardt, K.A., Hanover (1966)
Richardson, H.G. and Sayles, G.O. (1963), The administration of Ireland (1172–1377), Dublin
Rodriguez, J., Los fueros del reino de León, 2 vols., León (1981)
Russell, J.C. (1948), British medieval population, Albuquerque, NM
Sivéry, G (1990), Terroirs et communautés rurales, Lille
Sivéry, G., L’évolution des documents comptables dans l’administration hennuyère de 1287 à 1360 environ, Brussels (1975)
Sivéry, G. (19771980) Structures agraires et vie rurale dans le Hainaut à la fin du moyen âge, 2 vols., 2nd edn, Lille
Sivéry, G. (1984), L’économie du royaume de France au siècle de Saint Louis, Lille
Slicher van Bath, B.-H. (1960), De agrarische geschiedenis van West-Europa (500–1850), Utrecht and Antwerp
Slicher van Bath, B.-H. (1965), ‘The economic and social conditions in the Frisian districts from 900 to 1500’, Afdeling Agrarische Geschiedenis Bijdragen:Google Scholar
Spiess, K.H. (1987), ‘Teilpacht et Teilbauvertrage en Allemagne occidentale’, in Flaran, Colloques (1987), no. 7Google Scholar
Stubbs, W., Select charters, 9th edn, Oxford (1921)
The red book of Worcester, ed. Hollings, M., London (1950)
Titow, J.Z. (1962), ‘Some differences between manors and their effects on the conditions of the peasant in thirteenth century ’, Agricultural History Review 10:Google Scholar
Toubert, P. (1973), Les structures du Latium médiéval, 2 vols., Rome
Toubert, P. (1983), ‘L’Italie rurale aux VIIIe–IXe siècles: essai de typologie domaniale’, in Settimane di Spoleto Google Scholar
Vaillant, P. (1967), ‘Les origines d’une libre confédération de vallées: les habitants des communautés briançonnaises du XIII siècle’, Bibliothèque de l’Ecole des chartes 125:Google Scholar
Verhulst, A. (1966), Histoire du paysage rural en Flandre, Brussels
Verhulst, A. (1990), Précis d’histoire de la Belgique, Brussels
Verriest, L., Sources de l’histoire du droit rural. Corpus de records de coutumes et des lois de chefs-lieux de l’ancien comté de Hainaut, Mons (1946)
Vinogradoff, P. (1978), Villeinage in England, repr., Oxford
Wopfner, H., Urkunden sur deutschen Agrargeschichte, Stuttgart (1928)

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
×