Society in early modern Europe

“Europe”—what/where is it?  Continent west of Asia  4 mil sq mi  ≈ 35 countries  At Beginning of course: disproportionate amt of time on: Italy, Spain, France, Brit. Isles & a bit on German states.  late 18 th c. & 19 th c.: more focus to Germany, Italy (again), Eastern Eur., Russia

Axial divides  These lines are geographic, but also political, economic and cultural.  East/West – will shift. “Western Europe” –  West of the RHINE for 1 st ½ of class;  but shift sometime in 19 th c.: to Oder to fully ecompass Germany.  North/South – the Alps.

Other natural features –also affect Euro. history:  Mountains – barriers to invasion & trade  Forests – barriers to invasion & produced their own unique economies and societies

Other natural features –also affect Euro. history:  Water – Europe a peninsula filled with peninsulas: natural harbors!  Islands—failure of invasions of Britain in 1588, 1805,  Rivers – to diplomats & historians: barriers. To people on the move: a way to penetrate the countryside. In England, they were critical in early industrial revolution.

Climate Latitude – should be colder than it is: Northern Europe IS cold, but Western Europe warmed by the Gulf Stream >> relatively mild climates & S’ern Europe warmed by Mediterranean Sea.

“The Calamitous 14 th c.” Term coined by B. Tuchman in “A Distant Mirror” Included:  The Black Plague  The 100 Yrs. War  The Crisis in the Church: Babylonian Captivity and Great Schism

“The Calamitous 14 th c.”  The Black Plague:  Demographic disaster that fundamentally alters economy of Europe  The 100 Yrs. War: Political crisis in which weak French kings bandied about by strong nobility. 65+ yrs of warfare >>> important societal, political changes in England & France.  The Crisis in the Church: left the Church open to criticism of papal authority from conciliarists and theologians (Wycliff’s Lollards & Hus’ Hussittes)

“The Calamitous 14 th c.” To understand why these 3 crises of the 14 th c. mattered, helps to understand the culture, society, economy and political structure of late medieval/early modern Europe.

Demography  POP. c – about 80 million (today: 10x that size) ; Slowly recovering from Black Plague  Avg. life expectancy: 30 yrs -- Infant mortality: 20% Another 10% died by age 10  Periodic recurrences of plague & host of other bacterial & viral infections & epidemic diseases No knowledge of connection between hygiene, germs & disease “sweating sickness”, “bloody flux” etc  FAMINE: usually from bad harvests (about 1 in 4) 1 in 6: so bad >>> famine While few literally starved, scarcity of food lowered resistance to disease >> more deaths.  CLOTHING and HOUSING: barely adequate to keep one warm & dry.  Subject to accidents, fire, and drowning  Violence: War and assaults.

The Black Plague  Population only began to grow again around 1500  Demographic disaster of 14 th & 15 th c. >>>>“Golden Age of Labor”  Survived? Congratulations! Smaller labor force >>> Can Demand:  Wages  End to Serfdom (gone in England: 1550)  Lower food prices and lower rents Landlords counter: e.g Statute of Laborers

Where did people live?  Less than 5% in towns  Largest city in Europe c. 1500: Constantinople (400,000) Paris: 200,000 Naples: 150,000 Venice: 100,000 London, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Madrid, Rome, Florence: 50,000.  Cathedral or market towns – : Salisbury, Rheims, Bruges, Dortmund, Lyon. Many: just a couple of cross streets surrounded by fields with a market square. Swelled during markets to 2x size. All: dependent on trade >>> vulnerable to war, epidemics

An AGRARIAN SOCIETY!  95% of Euros lived in villages Most: <500 sometimes as few as 50.  Manors – Typically 2 impressive bldgs  Manor  Church

The Manor

Kirchschletten

The Manor House

The Parish Church

Walter Halbig 1975 Josef Halbig 1925 Albert Halbig 1892 Ursula Halbig 1848 vom Ehemann Friedrich, 1831 von Johann Bleyer 1810 Georg Konrad Bleier 1803 Konrad Kleiner Haus Nr. 16 (um 1950).

Peasant society

Yeomen: “the better sort of people”  Can be owner-occupiers – own freehold  But most tenants w/ strong L-term lease  Employed labor  Substantial marketable surpluses >> sell to towns  Often as wealthy as poorer nobility  In England: vote for Commons

Small Farmers/Husbandmen  Renters/Tenure not secure  Less than 30 Mostly relied on direct family for labor; small # servants seasonally  Income: £10/year (vs. nobles: several hundred) acres>>less surplus to sell Husbandmen: Engraving dated 1799, from Andrew W. Tuer, Pages & pictures from forgotten children's books ( ) from Briggs Collection, PZ 6.P2

Village Craftsmen or Tradesmen  Might be people of substance (millers, blacksmiths) OR poor (tailors, alehouse keeper/brewer)  Most also farmed

Cottagers & Laborers  Cottagers: rent up to a few acres from local landord or farmer  Relied on wagers for at least signif. part of income  Laborers: scrape by on edge of subsistence

The Poor  No permanent residence  No visible means of support