The Plight of Landless Labourers in Europe: A Historical Perspective
Summary
In this Q&A article, we will discuss the life of landless labourers in Europe during the 17th century. These individuals lived on the margins of society, depending on their work for their food and shelter. The burden of labour services varied across regions, and peasants had to provide a few days of weekly domain labour to their feudal lords. Textiles were the staple of long-distance trade in Europe during the 16th century, giving employment to thousands of people. Poverty was a social construct existing in the social conscience of the rich. Real wages for non-skilled laborers in Europe fell dramatically, especially in southern, central, and eastern Europe. Vagrants often made up the “dangerous poor” who moved from the countryside to the cities. Urban areas had a significant proportion of households in regular receipt of charity, and private philanthropy was more important than public poor relief. There was a “Great Tradition” of urban patricians negotiating for their urban rights and a “little tradition” of protest among urban artisans, laborers, and rural communities, which became widespread and violent in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
Table of Contents
- Life of Landless Labourers
- The Burden of Labour Services
- Textile Industry in Europe
- Poverty and Relief Measures
- Protest and Revolution
Q&A
Life of Landless Labourers
Q1: Who were landless labourers in Europe during the 17th century?
A1: Landless labourers were individuals who depended on working for their food and had to make do with meager means of livelihood, such as building huts on swampy land for shelter or carrying wood down on their backs for work.
Q2: Why did the number of landless labourers increase in Russia during this period?
A2: War and depopulation resulted in a significant increase in the number of landless labourers, with many individuals becoming dependent cottagers and farmworkers.
Q3: How did landlords exploit peasants in Poland?
A3: In Poland, smaller peasant plot sizes and greater labour service burdens existed. However, some villagers managed to negotiate fixed quotas and retain some security of tenure.
The Burden of Labour Services
Q4: What was the burden of labour services across regions?
A4: The burden of labour services varied across regions and depended on factors such as plot sizes, tenure security, and the ability to manage labour services.
Q5: What was the situation in Brandenburg regarding labour services?
A5: In Brandenburg, peasants had large plots and worked the majority of the land but had to provide a few days of weekly domain labour.
Q6: How did landlords make peasants personally unfree in Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg, and Pomerania?
A6: In these regions, where the demands from the markets for cattle and cereals were specifically strong, villagers’ hereditary tenures were converted into leaseholds, making them personally unfree.
Textile Industry in Europe
Q7: What was the significance of cloth production in Europe during the 16th century?
A7: Textile industry in Europe during the 16th century gave employment to thousands of people, and cloth was the staple of long-distance trades, including bedclothes, table coverings, hangings, towels, and napkins.
Q8: Which regions disrupted the Italian specialty of fine drapery production?
A8: The Italian specialty of fine drapery was disrupted by the Italian Wars, and the Dutch centres of production also suffered from competition, this time from a “new drapery.”
Q9: Who were the major players in cloth production during this period?
A9: Most cloth production took place in the countryside, producing cloth for everyday use, with the bulk of the industry lying in the hands of independent hand-weavers who brought their pieces to the market each week and were dependent on the market to continue working.
Poverty and Relief Measures
Q10: How did poverty affect the European society during this period?
A10: Poverty was a social construct existing in the social conscience of the rich, and most people were poor, which led to new ordinances for the relief and regulation of the poor.
Q11: What were the major causes of poverty in Europe during that time?
A11: Real wages for non-skilled labourers in Europe fell dramatically, especially in southern, central, and eastern Europe. Vagrants often made up the “dangerous poor” who moved from the countryside to the cities.
Q12: What was the role of private philanthropy in poor relief?
A12: Private philanthropy was more important than public poor relief, and charity to the poor was seen as a way to conquer souls.
Protest and Revolution
Q13: What were the major forms of protests during this period?
A13: There was a “Great Tradition” of urban patricians negotiating for their urban rights and a “little tradition” of protest among urban artisans, labourers, and rural communities, which became more widespread and violent in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.
Q14: How did peasants protest against their domain landlords in Bohemia and Hungary?
A14: Peasant protests and uprisings in these regions, which had as their objective to persuade the emperor and his officials to intervene in cases of abuse by domain landlords, were common.
Q15: What was the impact of wage disparity on protests?
A15: Wage disparity was pronounced, with the emerging economic region in northwest Europe seeing higher silver wages and plentiful skilled labour, making protests more frequent and violent.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the life of landless labourers in Europe during the 17th century was a challenging one. These individuals had to survive on meagre means of livelihood and depended on their work for their food and shelter. Textile industry in Europe during the 16th century gave employment to thousands of people, but the Italian Wars and competition from the “new drapery” disrupted the industry. Poverty was a social construct existing in the social conscience of the rich, and real wages for non-skilled labourers in Europe fell dramatically, especially in southern, central, and eastern Europe. Protest became more widespread and violent in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, with peasants protesting against their domain landlords in Bohemia and Hungary. Private philanthropy was more important than public poor relief, and charity to the poor was seen as a way to conquer souls.
