DEMOGRAPHIC PROCESSES IN THE MEDIEVAL EUROPE

Abstract

In the time of the Middle Ages, the influence of demographic processes, associated with the change in the population of Europe, was noticeable on almost all spheres of life of the Western European society of that periode. The change in demographic indicators was caused by various factors: natural and biological, social and economic. During the early Middle Ages, the demographic situation in Europe was primarily determined by migration movements that affected the ethnic map of the continent, the composition of the population of many European countries, their lifestyle and traditional culture. Starting from the 10th century rapid population growth was observed, and it then took on the features of a “demographic boom”. Among the factors that had a positive influence on the demographic situation in the medieval Europe, we can name: internal colonization, i.e. the development of previously uninhabited lands; a change in the diet of Europeans, in which meat and dairy products began to play a significant role; a strict ban on birth control, established by the church; the widespread practice of extramarital relations and a young age of marriage (for women it was 15–16 years, for men – 18–19). Demographic growth was observed until the beginning of the 14th century, when the “Black Death” epidemic began in Europe. Losses from it are estimated by researchers from a third to a half of the population of Western European countries. The model of marriage in the medieval Europe was largely inherited from ancient Rome, where, alongside “official” (legal) marriage, concubinage was also a widespread form of relationship between a man and a woman. In the evolution of the medieval marriage tradition, an important stage was the gradual establishment of monogamous Christian church marriage, which from the XIV century became the only legal form of marriage. The birth rate in medieval Europe remained stably high (7-8 children per family), however child mortality was also high (about half of the children did not live to the age of ten). High mortality rates persisted among adults as well. The factors that had a negative impact on the demographic situation were primarily wars, famines and epidemics. As a result, the average life expectancy in Western Europe barely reached 40-45 years for men and 35 years for women. During the late Middle Ages, there was a tendency towards a gradual decrease in infant mortality rates and a gradual increase in average life expectancy.