Clearing

Causes and chronology

Which are the traces of the great clearings?

toponymy gives signs of these great deforestations: essarts (general direction), artigue (South-western of the France), Villeneuve , sauveterre , border …
Certains names of villages ending in - dorf , - feld , - grinds reveal actions of clearings. In the south of France, the toponyms country house, let us bastidons, bastidonne can correspond to establishments founded during clearings.
For the historians, the richest sources are the texts (for example the Charte S of clearings), the contributions of the Paléobotanique, the analysis of the Pollen S and the coal S of Bois.

When do the great medieval clearings begin?

The answer to this question is not simple: it depends on the area concerned. Great clearings are attested as of the Années 950 in Flanders and Normandy; but of new studies show that as of the time of Charlemagne, the forest moved back in Occident, particularly in Catalogne. The Mediterranean forest in addition was strongly started as of the Antiquité; however, to many establishments are gone back from the end of XIIe and XIIIe century.

It should be held account owing to the fact that the ager , the cultivated grounds, can move back quickly in the event of abandonment (in the space of a generation). In this case, the projection of the forest or its retreat generally depend on the demographic pressure .

When are the great medieval clearings completed?

There still, that depends on the geographical surfaces: the deforestations seem to slow down as of the medium of XIIe century in Normandy and in the Top Poitou. But this deceleration is later in the Paris basin (1230-1250) and the Germanic plains (about 1340).

Why the Men of the Middle Ages did clear?

The leading causes of the clearings are the demographic strong growth of XIe-XIIIe centuries and technological advances (increasing use of the Fer). The European population would have passed from 38 million at the beginning of Xe century with more than 75 million with the beginning of XIVe century. It as should be noted as when the clearings beat their full, i.e. about the year millet, they fall under one period when the invasions on the territory frankly ceased and where the climatic conditions improved. These various factors give to the men a certain confidence in the future and their thus allow to consider large companies of clearing. This vision of a more favourable future can be, to a certain extent, at the origin of the population growth or, at least, in being stimulative.

Types of clearing

Widening of existing soils

This type of clearing is the fact of Ermite S, coalmen and peasants who act in a spontaneous and isolated way. This phenomenon is very difficult to describe fault of sufficient sources. It is practiced by progressive and regular nibbling of the forest, with the margin of the cultivated grounds. It is estimated however that it contributes for a big part to the great clearings.

Creation of new soils

On the initiative of the Lord S and the cities (in Italy for example), of new arable lands is development: it is then necessary to cut and burn the forest which often surrounds the village. The laic or ecclesiastical lord will be able to thus take news Redevance S on the new grounds. Sometimes, a laic lord joins an ecclesiastical lord (abbot, bishop) to create new soils: they sign a contract of pariage or Paréage ;
the monks, in the search of places in margin of the “civilized” world were in the beginning many clearings during all Middle Ages: as of IXe century, in Auvergne, the foundation of the abbey of the Chair-God makes move back the forest with the creation of clearings. The Cistercien S, in particular, clear many grounds: the “barns” are agricultural operating systems entrusted to the work of the brothers Convers, who are not compelled with the spiritual obligations of the other monks.
the clearings also accompanied the operations by colonization in Europe: Germanic colonization towards the east of the continent was partly assured thanks to the hosts: they are peasants who are established in a new area, to which the lord gives a ground to be cleared. The lord promises advantage with the newcomers, like limited royalties and the exemption of the Corvée S. At the time of the Reconquista (Christian reconquest on Moslem Spain), of great clearings took place to install the new population.

Conquest of the littoral

As of Xe century, in Flanders and Zealand, one drains the Marais in order to transform them into arable lands. Great work of Polder isation continues starting from XIIe century, in France, in Flanders and England.

Transformations of the Western landscape

The incastellamento

Highlighted by Pierre Toubert, initially in Latium then in Languedoc, it indicates the Mediterranean habitat perched around a castle and of a church. The cultivated grounds are organized in concentric aureoles around the village.

Genesis of the openfield in the North-West of Europe

It takes place starting from XIe century, and takes the shape of fields open to XIIIe century, laid out around a central village. The triennial Rotation and a compartmental private individual is essential a little everywhere in this area.

Scrap-metal

In areas with poor grounds (British Isles, Armorican Solid mass, Germany of north) the scrap-metal testifies to a certain agrarian individualism. One practices there especially the breeding.

New villages of French South-west

Many establishments are dated from XIIIe century; they are called: Sauveté S, Castelnau X, country houses

Total disappearance of the forest to the Middle Ages?

It would be caricatural to say that the great clearings of XI-XIIIe centuries completely made disappear the forest. In mountain, the forest resists better than elsewhere; the forest offers an important complement in the medieval food: one takes along there the pigs for glandée, one collects there bays, mushrooms and honey. They are important for the Transfert of fertility towards the ager . As of XIIIe century, the land lords, often owners of the forest (reserve) react and try to protect the forest. The organization and the regulation of forest spaces are done as of XIIe century: rights of pasturage, right of uses (collecting of wood, drives out for example) are fixed.

Conclusion: the clearings stop…

… Because the forest is essential to the daily life; one realized that certain cleared grounds are poor and give poor yield. With the crises of XIVe century (demographic decline caused by the Black Death and the War One hundred Year old), the forest regains ground, especially in Eastern Europe. The great clearings of the central Middle Ages remain one of the symbols of the expansion of the Occident (Germanic colonization, Spain).

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