The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100

Possession of portable wealth among the connected communities of ports, coasts and river valleys in early medieval northwest Europe reflected a complex web of social relationships of different kinds. It reflected competition in some circumstances, and in others symbiotic lifestyles of relative co-op...

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Main Author: Loveluck, Chistopher
Other Authors: Loré, Vito
Format: Book Section
Published: Brepols 2017
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35339/
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author Loveluck, Chistopher
author2 Loré, Vito
author_facet Loré, Vito
Loveluck, Chistopher
author_sort Loveluck, Chistopher
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Possession of portable wealth among the connected communities of ports, coasts and river valleys in early medieval northwest Europe reflected a complex web of social relationships of different kinds. It reflected competition in some circumstances, and in others symbiotic lifestyles of relative co-operation, specialisation and advantageous location. For example, the coastal peasantries of northwest Europe seem to have been able to amass significant amounts of portable wealth and imported goods through the trade of products, such as salt. Such trade involved direct contact with foreign mariners, often away from major ports, between the VII and IX centuries. However, there is little evidence of competition with the aristocracy as a result of amassing that wealth. Competition seems to have been focussed on other peasants. Similar, co-operation and maintenance of largely parallel and independent lifestyles is also reflected among the mercantile households of the major emporia ports, between the VII and IX centuries. They enjoyed levels of portable wealth not too different from those of rural landed elites but they did not possess significant landed estates. From the mid X century, however, the portable material culture of the richest merchant-artisans of towns, especially port-cities, shows an affluence to match the lower ranks of the aristocracy, with a range of social practices to match. Hence, by the XI century, there was a trend for active competition between the landed aristocracies and rising merchant patricians.
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spelling nottingham-353392020-05-04T18:23:04Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35339/ The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100 Loveluck, Chistopher Possession of portable wealth among the connected communities of ports, coasts and river valleys in early medieval northwest Europe reflected a complex web of social relationships of different kinds. It reflected competition in some circumstances, and in others symbiotic lifestyles of relative co-operation, specialisation and advantageous location. For example, the coastal peasantries of northwest Europe seem to have been able to amass significant amounts of portable wealth and imported goods through the trade of products, such as salt. Such trade involved direct contact with foreign mariners, often away from major ports, between the VII and IX centuries. However, there is little evidence of competition with the aristocracy as a result of amassing that wealth. Competition seems to have been focussed on other peasants. Similar, co-operation and maintenance of largely parallel and independent lifestyles is also reflected among the mercantile households of the major emporia ports, between the VII and IX centuries. They enjoyed levels of portable wealth not too different from those of rural landed elites but they did not possess significant landed estates. From the mid X century, however, the portable material culture of the richest merchant-artisans of towns, especially port-cities, shows an affluence to match the lower ranks of the aristocracy, with a range of social practices to match. Hence, by the XI century, there was a trend for active competition between the landed aristocracies and rising merchant patricians. Brepols Loré, Vito Bührer-Thierry, G. Le Jan, R. 2017-01-01 Book Section PeerReviewed Loveluck, Chistopher (2017) The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100. In: Acquérir, prélever, contrôler: les ressources en compétition (400-1100). Haut Moyen Âge (25). Brepols, Turnhout, pp. 299-322. ISBN 9782503569598 https://www.brepolsonline.net/doi/10.1484/M.HAMA-EB.5.112183 doi:10.1484/M.HAMA-EB.5.112183 doi:10.1484/M.HAMA-EB.5.112183
spellingShingle Loveluck, Chistopher
The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100
title The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100
title_full The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100
title_fullStr The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100
title_full_unstemmed The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100
title_short The dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest Europe, c. AD 650-1100
title_sort dynamics of portable wealth, social status and competition in the ports, coastal zones and river corridors of northwest europe, c. ad 650-1100
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35339/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35339/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/35339/