ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the preexistence of advanced industrial milling technology in France at the time of the Cistercian order’s foundation, in conjunction with the order’s focus on its unique mission to be self-sufficient, enabled the prolific expansion and economic growth of the Cistercian order in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The earliest Cistercian legislative documents took the stipulations further by specifying that the order possess only for its own use streams, woodland, vineyards, meadows, and lands far removed from secular dwellings and animals, and strictly prohibiting revenues from milling. Most medieval mills, including those owned and operated by Cistercians, were agricultural mills dedicated to grinding grain. While far fewer in number than agricultural mills, industrial mills were essential for the Cistercian order to remain self-sufficient. Undershot, vertical water wheels were most commonly used in France to power industrial mills.
