Published: 2024-12-30

Environmental and economic causes of the crisis of Magdeburg-law settlements and the expansion of Wallachian-law settlements in the Carpathians. The case of the Muszyna estate of the Cracow bishops (15th–16th century)

Grzegorz Jawor
Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej
Section: Studies and Materials
DOI https://doi.org/10.23858/KHKM72.2024.4.006

Abstract

The article examines the factors contributing to the success of Wallachian settlements in the Muszyna estate. This success is reflected not only in the impressive number of new pastoral settlements, established primarily in the sixteenth century, but also in the neartotal displacement of earlier agrarian communities. The study explores gradual
environmental changes at the onset of the Little Ice Age and their impact on mountain communities. By analyzing the establishment of new rural settlements, the article seeks
to identify patterns that shaped this process. The reconstruction of economic system required innovative approaches to land use, unfamiliar to traditional rural communities. Consequently, the study addresses migration as a key factor, highlighting the arrival of foreign settlers referred to as Vlachs to the estate. These people brought specialized practical knowledge, which they successfully adapted and transferred to the local area.

Keywords:

Wallachian law, Little Ice Age, mountain settlement, Polish-Slovakian borderland

Download files

Citation rules

Jawor, G. (2024). Environmental and economic causes of the crisis of Magdeburg-law settlements and the expansion of Wallachian-law settlements in the Carpathians. The case of the Muszyna estate of the Cracow bishops (15th–16th century). Kwartalnik Historii Kultury Materialnej, 72(4), 459–470. https://doi.org/10.23858/KHKM72.2024.4.006

Cited by / Share

Licence


This website uses cookies for proper operation, in order to use the portal fully you must accept cookies.