Society and Economy in Germany, 1300-1600

Society and Economy in Germany, 1300-1600 surveys the social and economic development of the German-speaking lands from the age of the Black Death to the eve of the Thirty Years War. It examines the political geography and social structure of the Holy Roman Empire as a constitutional polity in both church and state deeply etched by feudal-aristocratic values. The book questions the validity of a 'late medieval agrarian crisis', and the traditional account of the divergent social and economic development between simple landlordship in the West and a revived seigneurialism east of the Elbe. Tom Scott examines in detail patterns of regional and economic change and town-country relations, and the emergence of city-states in Germany and Switzerland. Broad coverage is given to demands for reform within the Empire, which influenced the sixteenth-century religious reformers, as well as to the many urban and rural revolts. The book concludes with reflections on Germany in the age of confessionalization and social discipline, including the rise of a witch craze. This comprehensive survey incorporates the latest research, emphasising regional analysis as the only way to comprehend Germany's diversity.