Changing Social Structure 1500 1700 Demographic Changes and

Changing Social Structure 1500 -1700

Demographic Changes and Social Structures • Europe’s population maxed out at 100 million in about 1550 • It dropped to around 80 million by 1650 • Recovered to 100 million again by 1700

• Economic developments rippled through the class structure • The aristocracy continued to maintain its primary position through the addition of “new blood” • Nobles of the Sword • Nobles of the Robe

• Below the nobles were the bourgeoisie, or burghers, who lived in the towns • Towns also thrived on the labor of the lower middle class or the petit bourgeoisie

Agriculture and the Countryside • Agriculture was generally practiced in a village setting, with decisions made communally • Subsistence agricultural system – growing enough to feed the village with little leftover for export

• Each village included a common area, used for livestock grazing, wood-gathering, and hunting • Throughout the 16 th century, England began selling off common land to allow for its purchase by wealthy landowners • Practice created a new non aristocratic class of wealthy landowners and increased numbers of landless poor

• Between these two groups stood the “yeomanry” or small freeholders who owned their land

• Paths of western and eastern Europe began to diverge more during the 17 th century • Peasants of Western Europe became from serfdom and feudal obligations • Peasants of Eastern Europe were more drawn more tightly into a highly codified system of laws

Life in the Towns • Only 10 to 20% of Europeans lived in towns and cities • Urban centers played an economic and cultural role • Cities acted as magnets for the countryside, attracting both landless laborers and those seeking opportunities

• By the end of the 16 th century, most cities could no longer handle the influx of new residents • The majority of city dwellers were the working poor • By 1550, poverty reached crisis proportions in many European nations

• Traditional religious and charitable institutions were overwhelmed • Governments began to enact strict regulations that distinguished between deserving and undeserving poor • Crime acted as the ever-present companion to poverty • Punishment was often cruel

Family and Communal Life • Most basic institution in European life was the family • The nuclear family predominated • Average marriage for men was mid-to-late 20 s and early to mid 20’s for women

• Aristocracy experienced 8 to 9 live births • Middle to lower class women experienced 6 to 7 live births • Old age was rare began of high infant mortality and low life expectancy

• Women proved to be an integral part of the family economy • Children were expected to contribute to the family unit • Children often did not receive full legal rights until they established their own residences

• Periods of extended labor were followed by periods of extended celebration • In Catholic nations, the church calendar dictated the pace of work and leisure • Carnival served as the largest of the festivals • World Turned Upside Down Day

• To ensure social conformity, many localities imposed rituals of public humiliation on those who stepped outside of community standards

Witchcraft Persecution • One of the most notable social phenomena of early modern Europe • At its height from 1580 to 1700 • Beliefs and socioeconomic conditions gave rise to the hysteria

• Increased Bible reading emphasized the devil and the weak and credulous nature of women • Religious passions created suspicion among communities • Those targeted tended to exist on the margins of the community

• Poor, older women, those living alone were often those who were accused • Women were believed to have special knowledge of and powers over the body • Often did supplement family income by preparing cures or potions

• With general acceptance of scientific explanations by elites, the witch trials declined after 1720 and were almost gone by 1750