An Investigation On The Agricultural Economy Of The Cistercian In The 12-13th Century

The economic activity of western monasteries is an important social phenomenon in medieval history,the most representative of which is the Cistercian.This religious organization,which emerged from the monastery reform movement at the end of the 11 th century,created the most successful economic performance in Western European society at the time,in an effort to ensure the purity of spiritual life through economic self-sufficiency.At the same time,it also played a vital role in promoting the economic recovery and development of Western Europe.The most typical economic development of the Cistercian is the agricultural economy of the 12-13 th century.Thus,this paper takes this subject as the object of investigation,focusing on the background,advantages,general situation,characteristics and significance of agricultural economic development.As the main economic activity and basic function of the Cistercian,the development of agricultural economy is bound to be closely related to the social development of the era.Therefore,the first chapter of this paper introduces the background of the agricultural economic development of the Cistercian from three aspects: the development of commerce and the rise of cities,the social colonization movement in Western Europe,and the rise of the Cistercian in the monastery reform movement.From the 11 th century,the continuous prosperity and development of business exchange in Western Europe and the expansion of demand brought by the rise of urban life have played an important role in guiding the development of the agricultural economy of the Cistercian.Together with the rise of cities,the reclamation movement,which became the most important economic event in Western Europe at that time,greatly increased the area of cultivated land in Western Europe,and at the same time further promoted the growth of population,which would obviously bring benefits to the development of agricultural economy of the Cistercian.In addition,in the 11 th century,the monastery,represented by the Cluny,became more and more decadent and extravagant,which led to a new monastery reformmovement,where the Cistercian arose.Dedicated to personal labor and far from the secular,the Cistercian find a new path to achieve agricultural economy success.The Cistercian,which emphasizes labour,quickly established the advantage of its agricultural economic development.The second chapter focuses on the analysis of these three advantages.First,land is undoubtedly the first factor in the development of medieval agriculture.The Cistercian,which chose to build monastery in a remote location,reclaimed many of the barren lands,thus becoming the leader of the Western European colonization movement.In addition,the Cistercian also obtained large amounts of land resources through receiving secular donations,purchasing and other channels.The second is the way of land management.The monastery integrated all the land into a new and efficient form of organization—grange,which is described as‘a monument of the organization ability of the Cistercian'.Third,the labor force.The Cistercian recruited a large number of Lay Brothers who were freely and voluntary joined as the main labor force,these lay brothers are active and familiar with the geographical characteristics of the region,thus becoming the key to the success of the Cistercian agricultural economy.In this way,the Cistercian is not only industriously cultivated and well-managed,but also has a large amount of land available,thus naturally achieving success.The third chapter of this paper mainly introduces the main performance of the agricultural economy.This success can be understood from four aspects: planting,animal husbandry,forestry and fisheries,in which the development of animal husbandry is the most successful,and is also the most significant for the Cistercian.The fourth chapter discusses the characteristics and significance of the Cistercian agricultural economic development.In the process of developing agriculture,the monastery has always attached great importance to the adoption of agricultural technology and investment in agricultural facilities,which would certainly play a positive role in the agricultural progress of its own and the whole Western Europe.At the same time,the Cistercian could respond flexibly to the surrounding environment,and adapt to the socio-economic conditions of the 12 th and 13 th centuries,taking the lead in organizing agricultural production according to the market,which not onlyenables itself to meet the growing demand for agricultural products in Western European cities.It also led to the commercialization of agricultural production in rural areas,thus contributing to the further development of Western European economy in the middle and late Middle Ages.