HY 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Enclosure, Price Revolution, Cash Crop
21 Mar 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Everyday life in the 1600"s: rural life. Mainly peasants; lived in/near villages (roughly 500 people/village in western. Had to pay rent to the local monastery/nobility/monarch. Paid by how much they grew; had to pay taxes & give tithe. Crop fields were very small back then and crop failure was bound to happen 1 in. 5 years; meager crop growth was to happen every 3 years. Fireplace = main source of heat, light, and kitchen to cook foods. Only showered once a year due to weather conditions & poor cleanliness of the water. Animals were brought into the house during the cold months bc they were very valuable. Sunlight regulated the day = long workdays in the summer, short workdays in the winter. Crop rotations > in northern europe, 3-field-rotation (2 crops at a time) occurred so soil didn"t get tired & worn out; wheat was a cash crop, white bread was a luxury food.
