Morgan McGrath
History 363
Dr. Lalande
Summary of Ch. 2,3,4 and 5 in the text
Feb.10th 2015
"From the 'Silver Age' to the 'Iron Century'"
Chapter 2: Human Replenishment
Censuses like the ones that exist today did not exist in Europe before the French
revolution occurred. When censuses did begin they were not for the same reason that they are for
today. At the time censuses were made so that leaders could tax the population and be aware of
the population size for the military. Churches kept some documentation of its members, these
documents were not very detailed and sometimes only names on the names written on a page.
The Council of Trent, November 24th 1563 made it so that parish priests had to keep track of
marriages and births of the members of their church. The rulers also wanted to be able to prove
who had been born, married and buried at particular places on certain dates. It was because of
Pope Paul V in 1614 that Italian dioceses started to keep lists of the congregation. These lists
also recorded the age and the family of the people who received communion on Easter. Censuses
were important to keep track of people.
The population was constantly changing. It was not common for large families to all
survive. Life expectancy was low and only increased slightly if you reached adulthood. For those
who did reach adulthood, they were lucky to make it to the age of Fifty-five. The plague, typhus,
scarlet fever, influenza and other epidemics would wipe out whole families.
The plague was a real cause for worry. When people became affected by it most of them
died. This plague showed no concern for who it was that it was affecting. There was no cure that
existed for the plague. Plague was also not the only thing that people had to worry about.
Smallpox, typhus and influenza were all other things that caused concern and lowered life
expectancy.
The environment was also something that caused concern for the people of Europe in the
sixteenth and seventeenth century. Cold springs and wet summers would damage crops that were
depended upon for survival. The worst case of this was during the "Little Ice Age" in which cold
springs and wet summer months occurred two years in a row. Some of these summers had very
strange weather events such as hailstorms and snowstorms. The unpredictable weather made
such a large impact because of the dependence on crops that were grown by farmers.
Little is known about the actual diet of everyone except for the elite. For those that are
not rich, food given to those sick in hospitals or students can help to give us an idea of the diet of
the everyday person. Things such as meat and fish were seasonal however, they could be enjoyed
year round if they were salted, pickled, spiced or dried out.
Chapter 3: Urban and Rural Worlds
Economic relations between the urban population and the rural population led to a larger
urban connection. This was mostly observed at the market. This was the area in which everyone
gathered to buy and sell goods. People form rural areas and urban areas from all over came to
participate. The population during this time in Europe were very mobile. People either migrated
within Europe or a much longer distance to the New World. Migration helped to make up for the
loss of population due to famine or epidemics like the plague.
For most of the population their job was to produce food. This was an extremely difficult
and necessary task. Technology was not very advanced and the amount of food produced
completely depended on the weather. It was very important for these farmers to get along so that
the outcome of harvest could be determined. Innovation in agriculture occurred slowly. We can
observe where there was a demand for more crops where technology is advanced. Irrigation
networks such as the Navilglio Grande, and hydraulic technology were attempted in order to
produce more crops and to have more control over the production of these crops.
The exposure to the market made agriculture sensitive to the risk and reward that was
determined by others. Those who had better technology, like the plough, could outdo those who
had to work with simpler tools such as a spade. For the most part, Europe's rural population had
to work with the simple tools. These people had to depend on the economy to work in their
favour. Much like the worker in a capitalist society.
The ownership of land was the cause for some debate during this period of time. There
was a debate between the relationship of ius (right) and dominium (property). People were
confused and thought that these two were one and the same. This debate was written about by
Italian Dominican theologian Silvestro Mazzolini da Prierio. He wrote that many believed that
anyone who had the right of the land should also have the property and the other way around.
Debt was found everywhere in Rural areas. Lines of credit were provided by people
living in the towns that had more money, Jews, and ecclesiastical institutions. In most of the
regions of France land was being bought from peasants by merchants and lawyers. The buying of
land occurred when peasants acquired too much debt. This led to an upper class group of people
owning the land while a dependent lower class became landless labourers. These labourers had
to earn what they needed to survive. For many of these peasants a landlord was not a bad thing
because they provide things such as social cohesion, protection and local clerical presence.
Being poor was the norm for most of the people living in Europe between 1517 and 1648.
There were many institutions that were set up often by the church to help but they were not ran
very well. These institutions did not help to eliminate the number of poor people that were on the
streets. These poor people were believed to be the carriers of diseases which caused fear for
many.
In the sixteenth and early seventeenth century’s protests by peasants increased. Firearms
were given out and led to an increase in violence caused by these protests. Most of these protests
consisted of the refusal to pay taxes and were not reported. This sort of protest was widespread.
The largest mobilization of "ordinary" people in protest was during the Great Peasant War in
Germany in 1524-1526.One of the main focuses of protest and rebellion were the tithe. The tithe
is the ecclesiastical equivalent of seigneurial dues. This particular protest had a very big impact
on the Lutheran Reformation.
Chapter 4: Treasure and Transaction
Silver became available in the Sixteenth and seventeenth century. This caused a change
from the former view of money. Gold and silver were used to decorate cloth and statues and
make a statement of aristocracy. They were also what money was made of. Europe during this
period used gold, silver and billon for money. The New World was a source for precious metals
that provided the resources for Europe to fund her growing military conflicts. American silver
acted like "an adrenalin surge" through Europe's polities and war efforts.
The attitudes and opinions towards credit began to change. Higher class people in Europe
all were in debt, and the higher up you were the more likely you were to be in debt. It was
believed that those who became bankrupt were associated with fraud. Even though many
believed that the use of credit was a sin based on religious views, people still continued to rely
on credit in order to survive and continue living the way that they were accustomed.
There was much debate about the worth of money and the dearness of things. Humanists
debated the acceptable relationship between business and the quiet life. Thomas Hobbes
published the Leviathan in 1651. According to Hobbes people were governed by their own
selfish appetites and desires.
Chapter 5: Noble Pursuits
Nobility was viewed as the "cream of the crop". Knighthood is an example of this. It was
founded by the Church for the purpose of defending Christendom. By the 1500's, much like
today, many complained the chivalry was dead. Despite the decay of chivalry, early works of
fiction about chivalry were still very popular. Chivalry did not disappear but it became
something that was a part of fiction. These romances, "bridged the gap between noble reality and
illusion".
Nobility became more about someone’s appearance than who they were were. How you
walked, dressed, and spoke were all signs of your social standing. Books were written about the
right etiquette for nobility. Without the resources, even nobles of rich ancestry would be pushed
aside and unable to live the life their family was accustomed.
This type of family history was important because it bared a strong resemblance to that of
the bible. The bible is full of legitimate patriarchs that were male dominated and gave rise to
sons. This led to the recording of noble ancestry being very important. Lineage was well
documented and represented. No one wanted to miss out on the opportunities given to the people
of noble blood.
Nobles had many privileges that set them apart from everyone else. These privileges
varied across Europe. For the most part, all over Europe a privilege of the nobles was the ability
to carry weapons. Dueling became a common practice and reflected the sophistication of noble
honour codes. Another privilege was the exemption of paying taxes. These nobles were not all of
equal standing. There had always been rich and poor nobles.
Nobles wanted to acquire more lands. Land and property transfers demonstrated the
importance of contracts and legal enforcement of them. Secular nobles were favoured in these
domain and land transfers. Exploiting land and property was the answer to surviving as a noble
during the seventeenth century.
In conclusion, based on my reading of the text, I would say that Mark Greengrass is
talking about the discovery of the "New World" and the use of its resources in Europe when he
subtitles this section of the text "From the 'Silver Age' to the 'Iron Century'". This is because it
was from the silver that was brought over from America that provided the funds for the
advancement of Europe into what Greengrass calls the “Iron Century". This ‘Iron Century’ is one
of change and rebellion which will lead to reformation within the Catholic Church.