1.5 A different way of life

Agriculture

The roman empire collpased,landowners could no longer prevent their workers from leaving. The plantations only worked with slaves and about 500 CE, the amount of farm land shrank.But between 700 and 1000 CE, farm production grew.A new way of farming known as the three-field-system was developed.

A new social system

 The new states did not have ancient Rome's power to collect taxes and to keep professional armies, so kings depended on local landowners to fight for them. This made big landowning families increasingly powerful and local rulers weaker. With such changes came feudalism. Under the feudal social system, peasants worked land and received protection in return for serving a landowner.

Population

At the beginning of the Early Middle Ages, population levels fell because of wars, shrinking food production, epidemics and loss of jobs in manufacturing and trade. In 542 CE, over 230 000 people died of a plague in Constantinople.  However, from the…