ABSTRACT
The rural credit market in preindustrial Europe has long been of great interest to researchers. The presence of credits, as stereotypes, in the peasant economy has been interpreted along two lines:
Debts indicate an exposed position, where credits were needed to pay seigniorial dues, taxes or even seeds and food (Goubert 1965; Beaur 2009: 154).
Debts indicate progress and growth in the peasant economy, where credits were needed to promote specialization and market orientation (de Vries 1975).
