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Economic Life in the Sixteenth Century. Euro – Ch. 15. Rural Life. As much as 90% of the population lived on farms or small towns. Farming was the main occupation. The village community had to be self-sufficient. One in every three harvests was bad; one in every five was disastrous.
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Economic Life in the Sixteenth Century Euro – Ch. 15
Rural Life • As much as 90% of the population lived on farms or small towns. • Farming was the main occupation. • The village community had to be self-sufficient. • One in every three harvests was bad; one in every five was disastrous. • Rents, tithes, and taxes absorbed more than half of the wealth produced by the land.
The Sixteenth-Century Household • Hunger and cold were the constant companions of the average European. • Homes were inadequate shelter against the cold and damp. • People had relatively few household possessions. • It was a civilization of daylight. • The world was bounded by the distance that could be traveled on foot.
Reliance on Agriculture • Grain provided more than 75% of the calories in a typical diet. • Animal husbandry was the main occupation for most others. • Land was the principle resource. • Most land was owned by lords who let (rented) it out in various ways. • Robot – Peasants would owe their lord two or three days of labor on the estate a week.
