ABSTRACT
The three centuries between about 950 and 1250 were a time of great change in many fields: economic, social, political, religious and cultural. This chapter will first concentrate on three aspects that are closely linked: population growth, increase in food production and concomitant changes in the relationship between lords and peasants. It will then concentrate on the rural segment of the medieval economy and society; the urbanisation process will be discussed in Chapter 9.
