The Assistance Of Manors To Peasants In Cases Of Subsistence Crisis In Seventeenth-Century Livonia
The Assistance of Manors to Peasants in Cases of Subsistence Crisis in Seventeenth-Century Livonia

Summary/Abstract: This article aims to offer through the example of seventeenth-century Livonia an empirical look at the thesis that the lords of the manor offered their peasants insurance against the frequent subsistence crises. The article shows that in Gutsherrschaft Livonia the landlords’ subsistence guaranty meant, as a rule, the practice of giving advance loans and allowing of arrears to the peasants. However, the peasantry took loans given by the manor, and the fact how the lord complied with their needs could explain their attitude towards the lord of the manor.

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