The plow, the tool that enabled the expansion of the eleventh century

The history of the economy teaches us that development of the technique is often necessary to allow economic progress.

Credit: Spartacus Educational

This may seem obvious nowadays, when technology is the main engine of the world economy.

However, for many centuries, the way to expand was through the conquest of lands , the typical ancient and medieval way of increasing the economy .In this framework, something quite extraordinary happened: the exploitation Intensive of the lands.

The impossibility of conquering new lands towards the 11th century , led many fiefs of Europe to manage better the exploitation of the lands that already they had, and to increase new tools that revolutionized the peasant activity, base of the medieval economy .

On the one hand, the fallow system began to be used with triennial rotation , which meant letting the land rest to achieve greater productivity in the long term, and diversifying products to cope with market changes.

On the other hand, new tools appeared , which greatly facilitated the work and boosted productivity.The most important of all was the plow , which was accompanied by smaller peroutile elements such as the guadana , the mayal and the rake .

The plow, the tool that enabled the expansion of the eleventh century

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The plow was extended from the Antigue dad , but it was a plow precarious, without wheels, it had to be maintained by the one who drove to the height or convenient inclination to be able to break the earth.

That it required a great effort, also produced irregular grooves and was limited, in fact, to plowing the ground.With this plow it was necessary to plow the field twice, in the shape of a cross, so that the second series of furrows will cross the first straight angle.

The plow that began to be used in the 11th century was instead a plow with wheels and weir The weir is a device to guide the groove and turn the earth like a helm.

The wheels in the plow facilitated their transport and balance, but their inclusion made the plow so heavy that the strength of large draft animals was required.

The plow, the tool that enabled the expansion of the eleventh century

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

In its most finished form, the new plow included a blade to produce a vertical cut, a fence to cut the ground below the surface and the weir to flip and pulverize the earth, as well as wheels that allow more perfect grooves and facilitate the work of the farmer who manages it, relieving it of the task of always keeping the plow at the necessary level to fulfill its function.

The origin of the new plow is not known exactly, but it seems to have been a German contribution for what must have penetrated the northern Gaul in times of the frank migrations, but its diffusion was very slow before the tenth century .

In addition, the improvement of the plow was carried out by means of s further improvements to take the modern form, essentially, towards the 13th century .

Thanks to this plow , which was much more effective, it they were able to break new lands.Yes, the old wooden plow was gradually relegated and continued to be used only for soils that were too dry and thin.

The plow, the tool that enabled the expansion of the eleventh century

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Sources: Torres, Cy Martinez, V.: History of the Middle Ages/Fossier, A.: People of the Middle Ages/Duby, G.: Rural Economy and Rural Life in the Medieval West

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