Suchergebnisse

We examine different aspects of nuptiality and fertility in the Länder of the Austrian Empire using the Tafeln zur Statistik der Österreichischen Monarchie (Statistical Tables of the Austrian Monarchy). This source, published from 1829 to 1871, contains data on population and natural movement. After discussing its quality, we study marriage and birth rates, and also age at wedding, illegitimacy ratio, and marital fertility. We find meaningful differences between the regions of Empire: low and late nuptiality in some central Länder, which generally have consequences for birth rates. The frequency of illegitimacy and marital fertility rates are also examined for the 15 Länder.

AbstractIn this article, we bring together a variety of studies, both old and new, to examine continuity and change in population dynamics in Italy during the medieval millennium (476–1492 AD). Though the available data are often sporadic and should be interpreted with great caution, it is possible to clarify certain dynamics, which can be useful for guiding future research. First, population fluctuations were not impacted by migration into or out of Italy. Second, medieval Italy was characterized by a high‐pressure demographic regime: e0 was around 20 years, with high adult mortality, and the birth rate was around 50 per mill. Third, despite high mortality, the Italian population grew (+50 percent) from the ninth century to 1347, mainly—but not exclusively—due to the absence of plague. Fourth, the stagnant population of the periods between the sixth and the eighth centuries and the 14th and 16th centuries was determined by the recurrent outbreaks of plague. Fifth, the population stagnation during the first and the last medieval centuries is also partly related to the increase in age at first marriage, while the demographic growth between the ninth and mid‐14th century is possibly connected to the decrease in age at first marriage among women. Sixth, the vitality of the medieval Italian population was partly ensured by a high rate of remarriage among widows. Seventh, data on statures show that mortality levels were determined by epidemic factors, rather than living standards. Finally, when the plague ceased in Europe in the middle of the Early Modern Age, adult survival was significantly higher than in the ancient and medieval centuries, despite the fact that neither hygienic‐sanitary nor epidemiological conditions, and certainly not nutrition, were better than in the centuries preceding the Black Death.

Studies of settlements in Italy indicate that during the Early Middle Ages (6th–9th centuries) the Italian population was stagnant, whereas a slow but persistent growth followed during the High Middle Ages (10th–13th). However, the components of the dynamics of the Italian population in the long period between the Justinian Plague (around 565 in Italy) and the Black Death (1348) are largely unknown. In this article, data from anthropometric analysis of the skeletons in 154 Italian cemeteries that date between the 1st century BCE and the 13th century are used to gain new insights on mortality of adults and nutrition. Adult mortality was higher during the Early Middle Ages than during the Roman Empire and the High Middle Ages, suggesting that the stagnation of population was determined by higher mortality. During the Early Middle Ages, however, nutritional levels were higher, as suggested by taller statures, more widespread meat consumption, and longer periods of breastfeeding. We discuss some possible research lines to resolve this apparent contradiction.

Établi en 813-814, l'inventaire des paysans qui travaillaient pour l'abbaye Saint-Victor de Marseille donne des informations sur la dynamique démographique en Provence (France méridionale) durant le haut Moyen Âge. La structure de la population par âge est reconstruite et permet de constater qu'elle est similaire à ce que reflètent d'autres registres médiévaux européens. Avec des résultats très proches des données sur les cimetières provençaux du premier millénaire et des tables de mortalité classiques estimées dans le cadre de précédentes études, qui montraient une mortalité importante dans le Sud de l'Europe, on en déduit non seulement cet inventaire des tendances de mortalité, mais aussi des modèles de nuptialité et de natalité. Ces résultats paraissent indiquer que la Provence du haut Moyen Âge se caractérisait par une pression démographique plus forte que celle observée en France ou en Europe occidentale après la grande peste. Enfin, sont analysés les modes d'habitat et d'exploitation propres à la paysannerie locale, en plaine comme en montagne, pour clarifier les relations entre habitat, environnement et production.