The Countryside

Population growth

Problems with estimating the population Nevertheless, there does appear to be growth

over the period 1000 – 1300 (40 – 55 million in 1050 to 60 – 65 million in 1200?)

Changes in agriculture

The clearing of marginal land The intensification of arable agriculture (the

farming of cereal crops) A risky undertaking. But it sustains population

growth

Medieva

Risks of a cereal monoculture

Wheat exhausts the soil The need for crop rotation Vulnerability to famine Balance between fields and pasture Impoverishment of diets

The topography of the village

The appearance of castles. For the protection of the lords, not for the peasants

Allow the lord to dominate the surrounding countryside

The development of nucleated settlements The creation of peasant houses

Castel Beseno, Trentino, Italy (C12th)

Social relations

The aristocracy becomes exclusively military in character

Relations between lords and peasants become legally codified. Peasants are given land to work in exchange for labour services and other feudal dues.

The development of the manorial court