Farming and the standard of living in the sixteenth century

It is probable that in most European lands the number of inhabitants began to increase once more as the fifteenth century came to an end, despite von Below’s view (1909:169) that such opinions are based on ‘rather uncertain ground’. It cannot be denied that evidence regarding population movements has remained very scanty until quite recent times. Contemporary records and observations are the most valuable sources of evidence, but unfortunately first-hand testimony of this kind is rare.