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Lecturer(s)
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Course content
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The in-person instruction of the course covers the following topics on a weekly basis: 1. Introduction to the Topic - Placing the village in the context of the early modern state and society, the villager's role in early modern society, and how the village and its inhabitants were perceived by other social groups. 2. Development and Trends in Agrarian Historiography - Core literature and concepts, key sources for understanding the history of rural populations, including examples, reading, and interpretation. 3.-4. Changes in the Status of the Rural Population in the Early Modern Period (15th - 18th centuries - From the Middle Ages to the pre-White Mountain period (changes in medieval village settlements, internal structure of the village community, social stratification). 5. Changes in the Status of the Rural Population in the Early Modern Period (17th - 18th centuries) - The impact of the Thirty Years' War on rural environments, the so-called "Second Serfdom," peasant uprisings, and the first corvée patents. 6. Social Aspects of Rural Population Development - Rural elites and self-government, non-contentious justice (legal conditions, serfdom, family and property law, transactions involving serf properties). 7. Social Aspects of Rural Population Development - Contentious justice (lordship vs. self-government), crime and punishments, social issues. 8. Agrarian Cycle - The farmer's year, the world of work, and professional stratification (agricultural technologies and practices in the early modern period), viticulture in rural environments. 9. Cultural Cycle - The world of festivals, customs, and folk magic, the year in folk culture, piety, and recatholization. 10. Everyday Life of the Rural Population - Living standards and their changes, food, clothing, etc., key life stages, the rural family. 11. The Village and the Manorial Estate. 12. Research Seminar. 13. Test - Reflection on selected aspects of the early modern countryside.
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Learning activities and teaching methods
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unspecified, unspecified, unspecified, unspecified
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Learning outcomes
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The course content is designed to provide students of historical disciplines with a comprehensive understanding of the development of the Czech countryside and its inhabitants during the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. Initially, the focus will be on the legal and social aspects of the status of rural populations in the Czech lands. Central to this will be questions concerning the origins of serfdom and the changes in the status of serfs leading up to the abolition of serfdom. In the context of these issues, the development of the social structure of the rural population, questions of serf self-government, the nature of property transfers of serf holdings, and other related topics will be discussed. The changing status of the serf population will also be complemented by insights from historical demography, including overall demographic and population trends in the Czech countryside, the life cycles of rural inhabitants, characteristics of rural families, and the extent of geographic mobility among the serf population. A separate chapter will be devoted to issues related to material culture in rural environments within the context of the everyday life of early modern villagers. Participants in the course will be gradually introduced to topics such as the appearance and function of medieval and early modern villages and village houses, clothing, and food. An essential part of this subject matter will be an exploration of the work activities of serf farmers throughout the unchanging cycle of the agrarian year. The course will also include themes aimed at understanding folk culture and the mentality of the time.
The graduate should gain a comprehensive understanding of the development of the status of the serf rural population in the Czech lands from the emergence of serfdom to the abolition of serfdom. They will also acquire knowledge of the main areas of research interest on this topic within Czech and, to some extent, foreign historiography. Working with specific source materials will provide students with at least a basic idea of the types of sources that can be used to study rural environments.
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Prerequisites
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None
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Assessment methods and criteria
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unspecified
1) Regular and Active Participation in Lectures/Seminars - This includes discussions and working with source material examples. 2) Credit Test - Focused on basic concepts and analysis of a selected source excerpt.
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Recommended literature
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BERANOVÁ Magdalena - KUBAČÁK Antonín. Dějiny zemědělství v Čechách a na Moravě. Praha, 2012.
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BŮŽEK Václav a kol. Společnost českých zemí v raném novověku. Struktury, identity, konflikty. Praha, 2010.
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ČECHURA Jaroslav. Selské rebelie roku 1680 :sociální konflikty v barokních Čechách a jejich každodenní souvislosti. Praha, 2001.
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CHOCHOLÁČ Bronislav. Selské peníze (sonda do finančního hospodaření poddaných na západní Moravě koncem 16. a 17. století). Brno, 1999.
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Kol. autorů. Lidová kultura. Národopisná encyklopedie Čech, Moravy a Slezska, svaz. I-III. Praha, 2007.
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MIKULEC Jiří. Poddanská otázka v barokních Čechách. Praha, 1993.
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PEKAŘ Josef. Kniha o Kosti (kus české historie) - 4. vydání (ed. F. Kutnar). Praha, 1970.
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PETRÁŇ Josef a kol. Dějiny hmotné kultury. I. 1 (Vymezení kulturních dějin, kultura každodenního života od pravěku do 15. století). Praha, 1985.
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PETRÁŇ Josef a kol. Dějiny hmotné kultury. I. 2. (Kultura každodenního života od 13. do 15. století). Praha, 1985.
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PETRÁŇ Josef a kol. Dějiny hmotné kultury (Kultura každodenního života od 16. do 18. století), II. 1 (1995), II. 2 (1998). Praha.
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PETRÁŇ Josef. Dějiny českého venkova v příběhu Ouběnic. Praha, 2012.
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