Braniştile – land use types in the medieval period (case study – the “braniştea” of Voroneţ Monastery

Abstract

In the Middle Ages, in the Romanian States, as in of other European countries, there appeared feudal domains that belonged to monasteries, nobles or rulers which were complex economic structures including pasture lands and hay fields for animals and also woods, ponds, mills, hives etc. called “branisti”. They were exploited through the work of the subjugated peasants, who werw compelled to give to the owners a rent equivalent to the tenth part of the obtained produce (the tithe). The access of the foreign people to the exploitation of these domains vas denied (according to the Slav word braniti = to stop, to deny access) except for the cases when they accepted to pay the same rents. The author continues with a case study dealing with the “branistea” of Voroneţ Monastery – the way it was set up, the main stages of its evolution.