Old Regime Europe - Development and West Civilization | HIST 242, Study notes of Cultural History of Europe

Material Type: Notes; Professor: Phillips; Class: Development/West Civilization; Subject: History; University: University of Tennessee - Knoxville; Term: Fall 2009;

Typology: Study notes

Pre 2010

Uploaded on 10/31/2009

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September 1, 2009
History 242 Lecture 1
Purpose of lectures – roadmap of Europe in this time period
“old regime Europe”
1. Biological regime (subsistence economy) (easy to tip to death with bad crop)
2. Social/political regime
4 major social groups
1. Royalty/nobility
2. University Education Professions (dr, theology, legal)
3. Artisans/Merchants
4. Peasants (largest group)
Questions on Mid term – will deal with these levels (need to be able to use the terminology)
Life as a peasant
- Housing: 1 room homes where ppl slept together, in the winter with animals
- Go to bed with the sun, woke up with it as well
oSleep schedule different from modern western society
oWake up for one hour during the night, 1stsleep, 1 lively hour, 2nd sleep
- High carb diet of energy (think of what you get from a garden plot and foraging)
oLots of alcoholic drinks of beer/wine depending on the area due to bad
water
oHousewives made the beer at home
oBeer was only 2nd to bread in calories
o3 L of beer per person per day
oSome people in central Europe and Germany ate beer soup for breakfast
Beer heated, butter, cold beer to cool down
Mix 2 eggs in, put with beer, whisk, add pieces of wheat bread
(white bread=too fancy)
oThen came coffee and ppl missed beer soup for breakfast
- Sense of time/organization of work and time
oNot many clocks
oTime was done by task orientating
E.g. it takes as long as to boil an egg
oWorking patterns were irregular
Worked a lot, then really relaxed (binge/purge)
- Working
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September 1, 2009 History 242 Lecture 1 Purpose of lectures – roadmap of Europe in this time period “old regime Europe”

  1. Biological regime (subsistence economy) (easy to tip to death with bad crop)
  2. Social/political regime 4 major social groups
  3. Royalty/nobility
  4. University Education Professions (dr, theology, legal)
  5. Artisans/Merchants
  6. Peasants (largest group) Questions on Mid term – will deal with these levels (need to be able to use the terminology) Life as a peasant
  • Housing: 1 room homes where ppl slept together, in the winter with animals
  • Go to bed with the sun, woke up with it as well o Sleep schedule different from modern western society o Wake up for one hour during the night, 1stsleep, 1 lively hour, 2nd^ sleep
  • High carb diet of energy (think of what you get from a garden plot and foraging) o Lots of alcoholic drinks of beer/wine depending on the area due to bad water o Housewives made the beer at home o Beer was only 2nd^ to bread in calories o 3 L of beer per person per day o Some people in central Europe and Germany ate beer soup for breakfast  Beer heated, butter, cold beer to cool down  Mix 2 eggs in, put with beer, whisk, add pieces of wheat bread (white bread=too fancy) o Then came coffee and ppl missed beer soup for breakfast
  • Sense of time/organization of work and time o Not many clocks o Time was done by task orientating  E.g. it takes as long as to boil an egg o Working patterns were irregular  Worked a lot, then really relaxed (binge/purge)
  • Working
  • All people worked in the fields (mom, dad, kids)
  • Women/kids = supplemental income like lace making EAST
  • Worse for peasants
  • 3 kinds of landlords: nobility, crown, church
  • Motto: no land without a lord
  • Poland/Russia = serfs sold like personal belongings
  • Prussia = peasants needed permission to marry/leave and had to give up what they produced o 1. Taxes to state 2. Dues to overlord 3. Tithes to church
  • Lucky if you could retain 30% of what you produced
  • Minorial courts held by the nobility WEST
  • No serfdom
  • 20% of land = owned by the ppl
  • Obligations: 1. Nobility, 2. Crown, 3. Church
  • France Farmers: 50% given to their people (1,2,3 from above)
  • Nobles gave them food in times of famine
  • Nobles let them continue to work the land
  • Hostile to outsiders (suspicious)
  • Strong sense of community with each other
  • Allowed to make decisions in town like negotiating land, dog catchers, watchmen, etc Farm
  • Concentrated village
  • Ring of fields around village
  • Divvy up plots of land to people o Some sunshine, some water
  • Commons (meadows to garage animals and woods) Diversity
  • Esp Western Europe
  • Ppl who lost land and sell themselves
    1. Clear trend where selling land is possible towards the creation of large estates
    1. Clear trend that peasant taxes to crown continue to rise The Royalty/Nobility of Europe

30 years war for half of 17th century, then intermittent wars to expand Mid 17th^ cent and before army was small and private

  • Problem with system = seller’s market (kingdom pays whatever the mercenaries asked)
  • States got into debt this way
  • Response = centralized standing armies (still expensive) Prestige
  1. Victory on the battlefield
  2. Fund an elaborate court a. Versailles for Louis XIV (1400 fountains, canals, etc) i. Stinky but pretty, not comfortable, drafty b. Late 17th^ century = capital, before=king moved around to make sure that everything was going smoothly Nobility Sophistication over the years
  • Middle ages = use of Eastern exotic things
  • Then elaborate porcelain, etc
  • Music, art, etc
  • Ruler ought to be a well-educated man Our Perspective
  • What it does to European manners (sophistication)
  • Noble/peasant differentiation o These things were taught in court only to nobility, so peasants were below them
  • Nobles: do not relieve oneself before ladies or windows, never use the bathroom on stairs/closets only in suitable places, don’t blow your nose in your hands or clothes use handkerchief and don’t look into it afterwards