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28 August 2008

The Economics of Inland Transport in in Late Medieval Bavaria

Hauling Away in Late Medieval Bavaria:
The Economics of Inland Transport in an Agrarian Market
by Michael Toch

The Agricultural History Review, Vol. 41 part 2 (1993), pp.111-123
http://www.bahs.org.uk/41n2a2.pdf [1.5MB strong]

Abstract
Using the mid-fourteenth-century accounts of the Bavarian monastery of Scheyern (to the north of Munich), the article scrutinizes the way late medieval landlords went about the organization of transport. Most intricate were the arrangements for the yearly recurring ventures sent into the Southern Tyrol to purchase, cart, and ship home the excellent vintages of Latin wine. For most of the relay route, hired can'iers were employed, but one stage was turned over to tenants owing the monastery carting services. Other transport needs nearer home made for less complicated arrangements, using a mix of hired labour, permanent servants, and the monastery's own rolling stock and beasts. No attempts were made to improve the technological level of transport, relying instead on a very flexible organization of monetary and labour resources attuned to local circumstances.

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