Medieval agriculture as three-legged stool

J

Jauchart

Joined Oct 2012

380 Posts | 14+

Discussion Starter
• Mar 4, 2019

• #1

Medieval farming has been compared to the peasant’s three-legged stool: one leg was the plowland, a second was the pasture, and the third was the forest. Saw off one leg and the whole necessarily had to collapse. I believe this comes from Georges Duby, but I cannot find where. Can anyone source it?
Thanks.

 

deaf tuner

Joined Oct 2013

24,148 Posts | 6,119+

Europix

• Mar 4, 2019

• #2

Jauchart said:

Medieval farming has been compared to the peasant’s three-legged stool: one leg was the plowland, a second was the pasture, and the third was the forest. Saw off one leg and the whole necessarily had to collapse. I believe this comes from Georges Duby, but I cannot find where. Can anyone source it?



Thanks.

Click to expand...

The three-legged stool metaphor appears in Duby's "Les Trois ordres ou l'imaginaire du féodalisme" (The three orders or the feudalism's imaginary), not in relation to agriculture, but to the throne (=> power): the throne is staying on three pilars, as the three-legged stool.

It's not his saying: he is quoting Aelfric.



IDK know about the agriculture.

 

J

Jauchart

Joined Oct 2012

380 Posts | 14+

Discussion Starter
• Mar 4, 2019

• #3

Can you proved the page number?

 

Runa

Joined Nov 2018

499 Posts | 432+

Denmark

• Mar 4, 2019
• Last edited: Mar 4, 2019

• #4

Last edited: Mar 4, 2019

deleted

 

Willempie

Joined Jul 2015

16,914 Posts | 9,355+

Netherlands

• Mar 4, 2019

• #5

deaf tuner said:

The three-legged stool metaphor appears in Duby's "Les Trois ordres ou l'imaginaire du féodalisme" (The three orders or the feudalism's imaginary), not in relation to agriculture, but to the throne (=> power): the throne is staying on three pilars, as the three-legged stool.

It's not his saying: he is quoting Aelfric.



IDK know about the agriculture.

Click to expand...

There you go, lazy bum
The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages: Topic 1: Texts and Contexts

 

J

Jauchart

Joined Oct 2012

380 Posts | 14+

Discussion Starter
• Mar 4, 2019

• #6

OK, that's a nice quote from Aelfric, but there's nothing there about a three-legged stool....

 

J

Jauchart

Joined Oct 2012

380 Posts | 14+

Discussion Starter
• Mar 4, 2019

• #7

I meant: provide a page number

 

Rodger

Joined Jun 2014

6,170 Posts | 607+

US

• Mar 4, 2019

• #8

There was the 3 field farming system, a rotation of crops and then allowing one part to lay fallow every 3rd year
Farming in the Middle Ages

 

J

Jauchart

Joined Oct 2012

380 Posts | 14+

Discussion Starter
• Mar 4, 2019

• #9

Yes I know, I'm a medieval agriculture historian. I understand the 3-field system; but in addition to the three fields, the commons/forest was a critical part of the whole. I'm just looking for a source for this reference from Duby.

 

deaf tuner

Joined Oct 2013

24,148 Posts | 6,119+

Europix

• Mar 5, 2019
• Last edited: Mar 5, 2019

• #10

Last edited: Mar 5, 2019

Jauchart said:

OK, that's a nice quote from Aelfric, but there's nothing there about a three-legged stool....

Click to expand...

Jauchart said:

I meant: provide a page number

Click to expand...

I don't have the book (so I can't provide You the exact page). But I found the passage on G-books: Les Trois ordres ou l'imaginaire du féodalisme (in French)

In the English edition it is at page 104-105: The Three Orders

 

J

Jauchart

Joined Oct 2012

380 Posts | 14+

Discussion Starter
• Mar 5, 2019

• #11

Well done! Thank you very much.

 

deaf tuner

Joined Oct 2013

24,148 Posts | 6,119+

Europix

• Mar 5, 2019

• #12

Jauchart said:

Well done! Thank you very much.

Click to expand...

Avec plaisir.