Economy in the Middle Ages

The economy in the European Middle Ages was structurally shaped by the system of feudalism and manorial rule ( feudalism ). It was dominated by the primary sector ( agriculture ) and was essentially geared towards forms of production for personal use or for the region ( subsistence economy ). 90 percent of the population lived in the country and were therefore active in agriculture. Trade and industrial production played a subordinate role overall. From the High Middle Ages onwards, they took place in cities and between urban societies. Through their family origins, the people were firmly integrated into manorial relationships, which, as "forms of rule, business and life, formed an essential element of the basic structures of old Europe until the early modern period."

The basic economic forms of the Middle Ages experienced no fundamental change in the entire period from the early Middle Ages to well beyond the end of the Middle Ages (15th century). With the discovery of America and the opening of the sea routes to India and the associated integration of the overseas territories into the European economy, the Middle Ages in the narrower sense ended. But it was only towards the end of the early modern period - in the transition from the 18th to the 19th century - and with the onset of industrialization that the basis and framework conditions of European economic forms fundamentally changed.

The economy in the country

The agricultural areas made up a large part of Europe in the Middle Ages . Since there was a very poor infrastructure in these areas , the economic horizon of a simple farmer was limited to his farm , the village , and sometimes the nearest town . The farm often formed a self-catering farm, on which the family produced almost all items for daily use. Thus, grain ( rye , wheat , oats , etc.) grown from which bread was baked, and livestock ( cattle , pigs , sheep , poultry , etc.) held, from which one meat and clothes moved. If the harvest was poor or even complete in one year, the animals were slaughtered on the farm in November. This month was also called the bloody month .

As the rural population in addition to working on their own farms even the landlord Frondienste afford needed and the church a tithe had to pay, most farmers could just as ensure the survival of their own family, and little in the municipal market selling. The prices were dependent on various factors, as well as wages. In addition to the farmers, there were also a few craftsmen in the country, who usually only worked for their own village or the landlord.

The urban economy

The cities covered the secondary and tertiary sectors. Craftsmen and service providers such as prostitutes , bathers , bailiffs , traders , etc. lived here.

The craftsmen were mostly organized in guilds (or guilds). Since this usually regulated prices, sales volumes, quality, the number of employees and the number of businesses, a craftsman in the city had little opportunity to expand through his own efforts. The products were sold by the artisan in the market. As a result of the guilds, the craftsmen in the cities had a relatively well-regulated income, which enabled them to make a living.

In the cities, trade also developed into an important pillar of the urban economy in the Middle Ages. Large trading companies emerged (e.g. the Fugger , the Hanseatic League ) that traded all kinds of goods throughout Europe. The rarer a good was, the farther it was exported and imported and the richer it made the traders who transported it. The cities, which imposed high tariffs on such goods, also benefited from this profit . However, there were also smaller dealers whose circle of buyers referred to the neighboring city.

Other service providers in the Middle Ages were often not well respected and often did not earn too much. Even so, many cities had bathhouses , prostitutes , moneylenders (mostly Jews ), trucking companies, and so on.

In addition, many of the citizens were farmers . That is, they had a small field in front of the city that was used to make a living.

see also: Women in the construction industry in the Middle Ages

High medieval growth phase

In the High Middle Ages there was a sustained economic boom. The starting point and core was an upswing in agriculture; the agricultural surpluses formed the basis for an upswing in the cities and their economy in craft and trade. In the 12th century, a large number of new market and customs offices could be established. In the Baltic and North Sea region as well as in the North German-Scandinavian region, the Hanseatic League emerged as a community of long-distance traders. This flowering phase ended at the end of the 13th century. At the latest with the great plague epidemic 1347-53 and the associated huge population losses in large parts of Europe, an ongoing economic crisis was initiated.

Remarks

^ Enno Bünz: Grundherrschaft, in: Matthias Meinhardt ; Andreas Ranft ; S. Selzer (ed.): Mittelalter, Oldenbourg Verlag, Munich 2007, p. 193
↑ Hans-Jörg Gilomen : Wirtschaftsgeschichte des Mittelalters , CH Beck, Munich 2014, p. 96f.

Economy in the Middle Ages

contents

The economy in the country

The urban economy

High medieval growth phase

See also

Remarks

further reading