Post/Author/DateTime	Post
yellowdingo 04-15-07, 08:01 AM	Estimating Medieval Economies Dealing with Limits These are Non-machine Agricultural Limits. While the best estates in medieval England were getting 83% of yield limit, estates in southern Europe were getting 91%. Other some places in Europe were getting yields as low as 0%. There is considerable evidence that the mini ice age in Eurasia was the result of Krakatoa erupting and releasing sulphur dioxide into the upper atmosphere. This introduction of aerosol particles reflects considerable light away from the earth; Droughts and heavy rain seasons in Eastern Europe as well as plunging temperatures decimated the human civilization. It is recommended that a regional sample be applied to a region when seeking to determine a limit. For example, the Principality of Wallachia beyond Hungary experienced droughts in the summer resulting in one growing season compared to the two crop season agriculture elsewhere. By comparison, advances in machine agriculture provide for 80 bushels of wheat per acre in 1950's New Zealand. Produce..........................Notes.. ..............................Output Ewes, Grazing.................180 days @ 1 sheep/3 acres... 1/4 gallon milk/day, 2&1/2 lb Wool /year Ewes, Fodderfed..............All year @ 12lb mix bushel/day..1/4 gallon milk/day, 14lb Wool /year Cows, Grazing.................8 months.............................140 gallons per season Cows, Fodderfed.............All year @ 50lb mix bushel / day..20lb milk/day Pigs, 32 weeks fodderfed...870&1/2lb grainmeal, 1040lb sweet potato.........200lb liveweight Pigs, 20 weeks fodderfed...500lb grainmeal......................100lb liveweight Bees, Skephive............straw rope hive.......Northern Europe: 10lb honey, 1lb wax Bees, Boxhive..............wooden box hive......N.E.: 30lb honey, 5lb wax, Australia: 800lb honey, 100lb wax Fuel, Wood..................10,000lb/person/year.........20,000lb/acre Fuel, Peatmoss.............28,500lb/person/year.........3,584lb/acre @ 15'deep Hens...........................freerange @20/acre...........180 eggs/year/hen Fish............................9 months/year, 1 cran =4 firkin......1 cran/day, 37&1/2 gallons of fish Salt............................36 gallons of seawater=9lb salt......1/4 lb per 1 gallon, 1 firkin=200lb salt Wheat, fallowground............................ ................36 bushels Wheat, stubbleground.....stubble growth @60% Fallowgrowth......19 bushels Barley, fallowground............................ ...................28 bushels Oats, fallowground............................ .....................24 bushels Rye, fallowground....ergot:1/10lb/acre(marsh conditions....30 bushels Maize, fallowground............................ .....................32 bushels Millet, fallowground ........................................ ........30 bushels Rice.................................... ................................40 bushels Linseed......produced for flax ...................................14 bushels Tomato.................................. ..............................600 bushels Hay..................................... ................................5 ton/acre Turnip.................................. ................................25 ton/acre Rape.................................... ...............................5 ton/acre Sugarcane............................... ............................20 ton/acre Tea..................................... ...............................1240lb/acre Grapes....................10 row vineyard acre.................2&1/2 ton/acre SEWING GRAINSEED: 50lb per acre Livestock............................... ....Notes Sheep................................... ........50% liveweight=77lb Pigs.................................... ..........70%liveweight (200lb/100lb)=140lb, 70lb Red Deer.................................... ....70% liveweight=220lb Oxen.................................... .........50% liveweight=1000lb Secondary Produce.......................Notes Mead.................................... ..........honey(lb)/5=mead(gallons)</td></tr> Wine.................................... ...........Post Ferment Red, Pre Ferment White 85lb-90lb/5 gallons Ale..................................... .............strong: 20lb grain/gallon, weak: 12lb grain/gallon Bread................................... ............73 loaves/50lb bushel Flour................................... ..............0.72 x grain(lb)=flour(lb) Cheese.................................. ...........milk(gallons)x10.31=milk(lb)x (5/43.25)=cheese(lb) Linen................................... .............700lb flax=448lb linen (64% cottage industry) Preserved Sausage .............................50lb Meat+ 5lb Salt=40lb Sausage WHAT IS A BUSHEL?: 50lb grain, 213lb chaff Container Size.............................Volume Pin..................................... ............4&1/2 gallons Firkin.................................. ............9 gallons Anker................................... .........10 gallons Kilderkin............................... ...........18 gallons Half Hogshead................................ ...27 gallons Barrel.................................. ...........36 gallons Tierce.................................. ...........42 gallons Hogshead................................ .........54 gallons Puncheon................................ .........72 gallons Pipe.................................... ............92 gallons Butt.................................... .............108 gallons Tun..................................... ...........216 gallons Cistern................................. ............252 gallons Wallesgrave Manor, Scarsdale ...the manor of Wallesgrave with all its appurtenances and sixty acres... Description This is a Knight's Estate. It supports a Knight, His Warhorse, Family, five servants, and Livestock. It is a sixty acre estate functioning on a three field rotation. Each field is then defined as 19&1/2 acres. This leaves some 1&1/2 acres upon which the manor house, Barn, Servants Residence and Vegetable gardens are located. It does however provide for little else. Such a Knight might be considered little more than a Peasant Farmer by wealthier European Knights with their multiple villa estates. Calculating the Produce of an Estate Three fields in rotation (3x19&1/2 acres) A field of Barley, Oats & Rye (3x6&1/2 acres) 6&1/2 acres of Barley @ 63%=6.5x28 bushelsx0.63=114&2/3 bushels: 5733lb barley grain, 24422lb barley chaff. 6&1/2 acres of Oats @ 63%=6.5x24 bushelsx0.63=98&1/4 bushels: 4914lb oats grain, 20933lb oats chaff. 6&1/2 acres of Rye @ 63%=6.5x30 bushelsx0.63=122&3/4 bushels: 6142&1/2lb rye grain, 26167lb rye chaff. Seed to the next sewing: Barley(325lb), Oats(325lb), Rye(325lb) Grain available: Barley(5408lb), Oats(4589lb), Rye(5817lb) Chaff available: Barley chaff(24422lb), Oat chaff(20933lb), Rye chaff(26167lb) A Sheep Herd on the rest (2x19&1/2 acres) 39 acres/3=13 sheep x 0.63=8 sheep (7 ewes & 1 ram) 8 sheep @ 2&1/2lb=20lb wool 7 ewes @ 180 days per year @ 1/4 gallons milk=315 gallons. 315lbx10.31x(5/43.25)=375lb cheese 2 sheep (4 year old sheep) slaughtered each year for meat @ 77lbx 2=154lb mutton sausage 2 sheep (slaughtered) providing 2 leather hides Sheep product available: Wool(20lb), Cheese(375lb), Mutton Sausage(154lb), Leather Hides(2) The Manor on a remaining 1&1/2 acres A Manor house and buildings (1/2 acre) A Vegetable Garden & Grounds (1 acre) 1/2 acre vegetable garden of Turnip x 25 ton/acre @ 63%=7.875 ton 1/2 acre running 10 chickens free-range (9 hens & ****)=9 @ 180 eggs/year=1620 eggs/year (3) Pigs on vegetable scraps, some chaff, and grain The Bits and Pieces of an Estate Fuel from woodlot beyond the estate boundaries The estate requires some 150,000lb firewood/year. 7&1/2 acres per year x 100 years to achieve regrowth=750 acres of forest Thatch for roofing 11&2/3 tons of Rye thatch is available Feeding the Warhorse and draft animals</li> 3x50lbx52weeksx7days=54,600lb (207 bushels of oats/grain&chaff) Ryebread (Blackbread) 5817lb/50lb=116.34 bushels x 73 loaves/bushel=8492 loaves Weak Ale 5408lb/12lb=450 gallons (2 Tuns (216 gallonsx2) of weak ale) Bishop Swinfield's Vineyard, Ledbury ...Ledbury which yielded Bishop Swinfield seven Tuns of white wine... Description This is a Vineyard owned by Bishop Swinfield that has the capacity to yield seven tuns of white wine. At 2d./gallon this is a potential income of 12 Pounds, 2s., 8d before servants wages and support. Defining a Vineyard We know the produce is seven tuns of white wine. Tun=216 gallons, 7x216 gallons=1512 gallons 1512/5=302.4 302.4 x 85lb=25704lb white wine grapes A ten row vineyard-acre yields 2&1/2 ton of grape Assuming 83% yield (25704/83) x 100=30,968lb 30968/2240=13.825 ton 13.825/2.5=5&1/2 acres This is a 6&1/2 acre vineyard with 1/2 acre for a winery and servants living off a vegetable garden A Tenant Farm, Ombersley ...nineteen and a half acres, mostly wheat, but also rye, oats, and vetch... Description This is a tenant farm of 19&1/2 acres, mainly wheat, rye, oats, vetch. The farmer also has some twenty geese, five pigs, a **** with four hens, two oxen, and a cow. There are also three cart loads of firewood that represent access to a woodlot beyond the limits of the tenant farm. Defining a Tennant Farm Three fields in rotation (3x6 acres) Wheat on fallow ground 6 acres of Wheat @ 63%=6x36 bushelsx0.63=136 bushels: 6800lb grain, 28968lb chaff. Grain available: Wheat (6800lb) Chaff available: Wheat chaff (28968lb) Rye, Oats, and Vetch on stubble ground 2 acres of Oats @ 63%=2x14.4 bushelsx0.63= 18 bushels: 900lb oats grain, 3834lb oats chaff. 2 acres of Rye @ 63%=2x 18 bushelsx0.63= 22&1/2 bushels: 1125lb rye grain, 4792lb rye chaff. 2 acres of Hay @ 63%=2x5 tonsx0.63= 6.3 ton of Hay. Seed to the next sewing: Wheat(300lb), Oats(100lb), Rye(100lb) Grain available: Rye(1125lb), Oats(900lb) Chaff available: Rye chaff(4792lb), Oat chaff(3834lb), Hay(6.3 ton) The Farm house on a remaining 1&1/2 acres A farm house and buildings (1/2 acre) A Vegetable Garden & Grounds (1 acre) 1/2 acre vegetable garden of Turnip x 25 ton/acre @ 63%=7.875 ton 1/2 acre running 5 chickens free-range(4 hens & ****)=4 @ 180 eggs/year=720 eggs/year (5) pigs on vegetable scraps, some chaff, and grain.
yellowdingo 04-15-07, 08:13 AM	France, 14th century ...212,821 square miles, half forested, supporting 1.9 million people (15% of whom live in Paris)... Produce Limits for Medieval France We know that the productivity rate in 14th Century France for its better estates is 91% of yield limit, other regions as low as 29%. For Vineyards Bee Pollination adds 20%-50% to yields. So the farm yield range for a non-bee enhanced estate is going to be 0% - 71%. The Average for all agriculture in France at this time is going to be 35.5% Average Productivity: 35.5% Firewood: In this case the city of Paris clears 29,000 acres (At 20,000lb timber per acre) of forest for firewood per year. (19,333,330,000/(20,000))/640acres= 1510.42 square miles per year of felled forest. Paris alone requires the clearing of 226.53 square miles of forest per year to support its fuel needs. Mostly this is going to be woodlots but much of it is open forest clearing. At a regrowth rate of fifty years, we require a support forest of 75,520.82 square miles (existing forest, mountains, fens, and no-mans-land: 106,410 square miles). Wine: We are looking at 88,208,818.125 gallons of Wine. Grapes> 10 row vineyard acre = 2&1/2 ton/acre. Wine> (Post Ferment Red, Pre Ferment White) 85lb-90lb per 5 gallons What is needed to produce the minimum wine volume is found by: 88,208,818.125 gallon/5=1,037,751 grape-units/ 85lb = 207,550 acres /35.5%x100%=584,649 acres/640 acres=913.5 square miles Grain: We need 980,006,497.7lb grain. This is supported by 1/3 of the farm (three field rotation). Barley, fallow-ground> 28 bushels per acre (28/100%)x35.5% x 50lb = 497lb per acre (980,006,497.7/497lb)/640=3,081 square miles x3 field rotation = 9,243 square miles Wool: 11,599,998lb Wool for Clothing, blankets. Ewes, Grazing> 180 days @ 1 sheep/3 acres 2&1/2 lb Wool /year. We estimate the sheep-herd by 11,599,998lb / 2.5lb=4,640,000 /35.5% x 100%=13,070,420 sheep x 3 acres= 39,211,261 acres /640 acres = 61,267.6 square miles. Dairy: We are looking for 176,416,636.25lb cheese. Ewes, grazing> 1/4 gallon milk/day We have (13,070,420 sheep/6) x 5= 10,892,017 ewes x .25 gallon per day x 180 days per year =490,140,750 gallons. Cheese> milk(gallons)x10.31=milk(lb)x(5/43.25)=cheese(lb) =584,202,443lb cheese (surplus cheese=407,785,807lb cheese) Meat: Now 352,833,272.5lb meat is needed. Sheep> 50% live-weight=77lb 13,070,420 /4=25% herd (4year old)=3,276,605 sheep x 77lb=251,605,585lb 352,833,272.7lb-251,605,585lb=101,227,687.7lb Surplus Oxen: 386,667 oxen each supported by 50lb mix per day. Oats, fallow-ground> 24 bushels per acre 35.5% x 24=8.52 bushels 22 acres per oxen per year x 386,667=8,506,674 acres/640 acres= 13,292 square miles x 3 field rotation = 39,876 square miles Leather: 1,933,333lb Leather for footwear. We find this in the 13,070,420 x 3lb sheep hides (39,211,260lb-1,933,333lb=37,277,927lb)/ 3lb=12,425,976 surplus sheep hides Vegetables: 705,666,545lb/2240lb=315,029.7 ton vegetable Turnip> 25 ton/acre ((25 ton per acre/100%)x35.5%)=8.875 ton per acre 315,029.7/ 8.875=35,496.3 acres /640 acres =55.463 square miles X 3 field rotation = 66.389 square miles Poultry: Finally 705,666,545 eggs are needed per year. Hens> freerange@20/acre 180 eggs/year/hen 705,666,545/180=3,920,370 hens/20 per acre=196,018.5 acres/640 acres= 306.3 square miles. Annual Requirements Grain: 2 loaves of bread per day per person (at 72 loaves per 50lb grain) this equates to 10.138 50lb bushels per person per year (506.9 lb grain per person per year). (1,933,333 x 506.9 = 980,006,497.7lb grain) Dairy: ¼ lb per person per day (0.25 x 365 x 1,933,333 =176,416,636.25lb) Meat: 1/2lb per person per day (0.5 x 365 x 1,933,333 =352,833,272.5lb) Poultry: 1 egg per person per day (365 x 1,933,333 =705,666,545 eggs) Vegetables: 1 lb per person per day (365 x 1,933,333 =705,666,545lb) Wine: 1/8th gallon per person per day (1/8 x 365 x 1,933,333 = 88,208,818.125 gallons) Clothing: 6 pounds wool-cloth (6 x 1,933,333=11,599,998lb) Firewood: 10,000lb per person per year. ((20,000lb acre/2) x 1,933,333 =19,333,330,000lb) Footwear: 1lb leather per person (6 x 1,933,333=1,933,333lb) Oxen: 9 acres of oats to maintain an oxen per 5 people-family (1,933,333/5=386,667 oxen) Annual Requirements (continued) Annual Requirements also means land use. To support a single person there are land requirements. Sheep supporting the individual require 9 acres each to graze as a secondary field crop That is 36 acres for a single persons four sheep (3 ewes) Grain for flour requires an acre Firewood is a ½ acre per person per year and considering regrowth is at about 50 year it is 25 woodlot-acres per person Vegetables and hens for eggs is a ¼ acre per person The farmers oxen requires 9 acres of oats Subsistence farming in fourteenth century France means a farm of 196.5 acres per farming family and 125 Woodlot Acres for firewood/fuel support. Subsistence farming is not going to support any urban population what-so-ever and had there been no cities France would have well supported an agrarian culture. To support the twenty percent in urban population, you look at farming families having a sixth mouth to feed. They must produce 4.5 ton of extra firewood per year (increasing the woodlot to 150 acres). They require another 37.5 acres of farm bringing it to 234 acres per farming family (worked by that family). Such a situation still doesn’t want to support a medieval society top heavy with 20% non-agriculture or pay crushing taxes to an Aristocracy of 3.4% (such as the Italian Sextary where farmers got 1/6th of what they produced). Corruption and failures such as war and plague in the system is going to cause starvation and anarchy. The Shortage of 5,000 square miles means some need for the import of food. 82,056 people are unsupported. If we assume an even spread, that is 12,308 starving people for Paris alone. Other Costs Considering the ongoing burning of Firewood there is a smoke haze over France that has to do with the 8.63 million tons of Firewood burned each year. The Death toll for Paris should be around 1,000 people per month (600 children) from hunger alone. Any further unsupported growth in rural population is going to be eaten by urban centres. So we can assume that every year about 82 thousand starving rural populace travel to the cities for hope of support. Eventually Paris will have a monthly death toll of four thousand (60% children) from hunger alone. Pollution, Disease, plague, National Bankruptcy and collapse of the Estate management structures (resulting from the slaughter of the Templar Knights, over-taxation of Farmers) will create even more chaos. There is going to be cannibalism and worse.
yellowdingo 04-15-07, 08:22 AM	Using the Above Information You should be able to calculate the capacities of your medieval setting using the above info. This should provide you with an idea of your productivity level, the number of people and under what situation they will be well supported, and how much your estate surplus produce is worth (based on the price of grain, Cheese, meat, livestock, wine, ect. as made available in the D&D Players manual). So tomorrow when your PCs raid an estate and make off with a thousand sheep as their first level adventure...you will know how big the estate is and how much the sheep are worth.
yellowdingo 04-16-07, 06:59 AM	CONVERTING TO D&D 3rd Edition DM NOTE: D&D STANDARD BARREL (62 GALLONS) WALLESGRAVE MANOR A KNIGHT’S ESTATE THE ESTATE VALUE LARGE WOODEN HOUSE, THATCHROOF 500000cp GEOGRAPHICAL AREA ACRES FARMLAN D 60 SUPPORTING WOODLOT 750 TOTAL AREA 810 ACRES ANNUAL PRODUCE QTY VALUE BARREL (D&D), WEAK ALE 7 8640cp WOOL, CLOTH 20lb 8000cp CHEESE, EWESMILK 375lb 7500cp MUTTON SAUSAGE 154lb 5240cp SHEEP HIDE 2 RYEGRAIN 5817lb 5817cp FODDER 54600lb 27300cp THATCH 11 tons OTHER LIVESTOCK QTY VALUE PIGS 5 1500cp SHEEP 6 1200cp CHICKENS 10 20cp OXEN 2 3000cp WARHORSE, LIGHT 1 15000cp FUEL FROM THE WOODLOT QTY VALUE FIREWOOD 150000lb 7500cp TOTAL ESTATE VALUE= 563417cp 5634gp SWINFIELD VINYARD A BISHOP’S VINYARD THE VINEYARD VALUE SMALL WOODEN HOUSE, THATCHROOF100,000cp GEOGRAPHICAL AREA ACRES VINYARD 7 TOTAL AREA 7 ACRES ANNUAL PRODUCE QTY VALUE BARREL (D&D), WINE 24 25296cp TOTAL ESTATE VALUE= 125296cp 1252gp OMBERSLY ESTATE FARM A TENNANT’S FARM THE TENNANT FARM VALUE SMALL WOODEN HOUSE, THATCHROOF100000cp GEOGRAPHICAL AREA ACRES FARMLAND 19&1/2 TOTAL AREA 19.5 ACRES ANNUAL PRODUCE QTY VALUE RYEGRAIN 1125lb 1125cp FODDER 18846lb 9423cp CHEESE, DAIRY 23lb 460cp THATCH 2 tons OTHER LIVESTOCK QTY VALUE PIGS 5 1500cp GEESE 20 CHICKENS 5 10cp OXEN 2 3000cp COW 1 1000cp FUEL FROM THE WOODLOT QTY VALUE FIREWOOD 3360lb 186cp TOTAL ESTATE VALUE= 116636cp 1166gp