Description

Agricultural economy and the village were decisive for the way most people in Europe lived in the Middle Ages and early modern times. Research into the rural world is therefore of fundamental importance. The focus of the present volume is spatially in Central Europe and chronologically in the late Middle Ages. The period around 1500 in particular, with its dense sources, now opens up rewarding research perspectives for rural areas. This applies not only to classic areas of agricultural history such as the agricultural constitution and the forms of agricultural production. In addition, however, for the period indicated, central problems such as the environment and climate, the market orientation, the organisation and everyday life of the village society and other central issues can also be examined more closely. Agricultural history has proved to be a fruitful field of work for medieval research. The present volume offers numerous new results, but also provides a variety of suggestions for further research into rural life in the late Middle Ages.