Crecimiento agrario y explotaciones campesinas en el noroeste ibérico medieval: León, siglos X-XII

Abstract

This work examines certain aspects of agrarian growth in León from the tenth to twelfth centuries CE in light of recent contributions and studies. It focuses on foral privileges and plantation agreements as mechanisms by which landlords stimulated and intervened in agrarian expansion. The author proposes that as landlords expanded their control over the land, these mechanisms also enabled peasants to obtain lands and expand their farms using the landlord’s property or uncultivated spaces. The possibilities that accompanied this growth were not the same for all peasants. For the poorest, these mechanisms provided ways to obtain remuneration, while for more prosperous or rich peasants they presented opportunities to extend their rural holdings and strengthen their economic position.