Description
Book SynopsisPeasants, Lords and State: Comparing Peasant Conditions in Scandinavia and the Eastern Alpine Region, 1000-1750 challenges the once widespread view, rooted in the historical thinking of the nineteenth century, that Scandinavian and especially Norwegian peasants enjoyed a particular “peasant freedom” compared to their Continental counterparts. Markers of this supposed freedom were believed to be peasants’ widespread ownership of land, extensive control over land and resources, and comprehensive judicial influence through the institution of the thing. The existence of slaves and unfree people was furthermore considered a marginal phenomenon. The contributors compare Scandinavia with the eastern Alpine region, two regions comprising fertile plains as well as rugged mountainous areas. This offers an opportunity to analyse the effect of topographical factors without neglecting the influence of manorial and territorial power structures over the long time-span of c.1000 to 1750. With contributions by Markus Cerman, Tore Iversen, Michael Mitterauer, John Ragnar Myking, Josef Riedmann, Werner Rösener, Helge Salvesen, and Stefan Sonderegger.
Table of Contents Preface Acknowledgements List of Figures Notes on Contributors Part 1: Introduction 1 Historiographical and Methodological Reflections Tore Iversen and John Ragnar Myking Part 2: Comparing Scandinavia and the Eastern Alpine Region 2 Slavery and Unfreedom from the Middle Ages to the Beginning of the Early Modern Period Tore Iversen 3 Leasehold and Freehold c. 1200–1750 John Ragnar Myking 4 Peasant Participation in Thing and Local Assemblies c. 1000–1750 Tore Iversen and John Ragnar Myking 5 Summary and Conclusion Tore Iversen and John Ragnar Myking Part 3: The Portrayal of Peasants in National Historiography 6 The Historian as Architect of Nations: A Historiographical Analysis of the Norwegian Peasantry as Carrier of National Ideology and Identity in the Medieval and Early Modern Period Helge Salvesen 7 The Participation of the Tyrolean Peasantry in the Government of the Country: Theory – Reality – Ideology Josef Riedmann 8 Peasant Ideology in German Historiography Werner Rösener 9 Switzerland – A ‘Peasant State’? Stefan Sonderegger Part 4: Appendix The Sub-peasant Strata in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Eastern Alpine Region Markus Cerman and Michael Mitterauer Active Manorial Lords and Peasant Farmers in the Economic Life of the Late Middle Ages: Results from New Swiss and German Research Stefan Sonderegger Glossary Bibliography Index
