Making a Living in the Middle Ages: The People of Britain 850-1520 - Couverture rigide

Dyer, Christopher

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0300090609 ISBN 13 : 9780300090604

Editeur : Yale University Press, 2002

Synopsis

In his masterly new book, Christopher Dyer reviews our thinking about the economy of Britain in the middles ages. In analysing economic development and change, he allows us to reconstruct, often vividly, the daily lives and experiences of people in the past. The period covered here (850-1520) saw dramatic alterations in the state of the economy, and this account begins with the forming of villages, towns, networks of exchange and the social hierarchy in the ninth and tenth centuries, and ends with the inflation, population rise, and colonial expansion of the sixteenth century. This is a book about ideas and attitudes as well as the material world, and Dyer shows how people regarded the economy and how they responded to economic change. We see the growth of towns, the clearance of woods and wastes, the Great Famine, the Black Death and the upheavals in the fifteenth century through the eyes of those who lived through these great events. Changes were not always planned or directed by the rich and powerful, but arose from the uncoordinated ambitions and actions of thousands of ordinary people. Making a living in a changing world presented peasants, artisans and wage workers, as well as barons and monks, with dilemmas and decisions, which this book highlights. The lives of these people were also subject to impersonal forces, such as changes in the climate, but this book emphasises the choices that were made. This book will guide readers through the controversies on the impact of the Vikings and the Norman Conquest, the importance of population growth, the fourteenth-century crisis and urban decline. Dyer deals with issues in social history which had an impact on the economy, such as family structures, social control and social protest. He uses the evidence of archaeology and the landscape as well as the more conventional written sources. Clearly and robustly written, this book sets a new standard for the understanding of medieval life.

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur

Dramatic social and economic change during the middle ages altered the lives of the people of Britain in far-reaching ways, from the structure of their families to the ways they made their livings. In this masterly book, pre-eminent medieval historian Christopher Dyer presents a fresh view of the British economy from the ninth to the sixteenth century and a vivid new account of medieval life. He begins his volume with the formation of towns and villages in the ninth and tenth centuries and ends with the inflation, population rise, and colonial expansion of the sixteenth century. This is a book about ideas and attitudes as well as the material world, and Dyer shows how people regarded the economy and responded to economic change. He examines the growth of towns, the clearing of lands, the Great Famine, the Black Death, and the upheavals of the fifteenth century through the eyes of those who experienced them. He also explores the dilemmas and decisions of those who were making a living in a changing world - from peasants, artisans, and wage earners to barons and monks. Drawing on archaeological and landscape evidence along with more conventional archives and records, the author offers here an engaging survey of British medieval economic history unrivaled in breadth and clarity.

Revue de presse

'A work of immense ambition and erudition.' Daniel Snowman. 'An exceptionally wide-ranging book... Dyer's mastery of his material is indeed enviable. The book abounds with a wealth of illustrative examples, which bring the discussion to life. Yet the author's learning is always worn lightly.' Nigel Saul, History Today. 'This elegant account of the economic history of Britain over seven centuries is an exhilarating book - this is serious history that can be read for pleasure.' Danny Danzinger, The Sunday Times. 'He has an open style, an encyclopedic knowledge of a vast sweep of over half a millennium of history, and he offers accessible and cogent introductions to an infinite range of potentially complex and obscure topics... With commendable assurance, Dyer guides his readers through all corners of the economy.' John Hatcher, Times Literary Supplement. --Daniel Snowman, History Today, Sunday Times, TLS

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Yale University Press
• Date d'édition: 2002
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0300090609
• ISBN 13: 9780300090604
• Reliure: Relié
• Numéro d'édition: 1
• Nombre de pages: 336
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible