Rural Land Management in Medieval Central Europe

Abstract

This chapter explores how management of rural resources in Central Europe changed to expand the rural production from the thirteenth century on, highlighting the important transformations in food-production patterns and new technologies that made the region comparable to parts of the European medieval West. One significant element in this process was the massive transfer and flexible adaptation of organizational frameworks and agricultural techniques arriving with settlers from Western Europe. The increase in agricultural production not only contributed to a higher standard of living for the peasant population, but also supplied food and other agrarian products to a growing segment of the population not engaged in food production. From the fourteenth century, large numbers of urban settlements with significant populations employed in crafts, industrial production, and trade enjoyed the benefits of the agrarian hinterland. Ultimately, the development of medieval rural landscapes in Central Europe was based on interaction, acceptance, and adaptation of innovation, which means that it can be regarded as an integral part of the wider medieval European agricultural milieu.