Chapter Unveiling a hidden subject: peasant agency in the Douro river basin (5th- 7th centuries)

The peasantry formed the most numerous group in the vast course of history in its dialectical diversity and specificity. However, the peasants’ importance was not matched by an equal research effort from historians. Something especially true during any pre-capitalist context in which the absolute re...

תיאור מלא

שמור ב:
מידע ביבליוגרפי
מחבר ראשי: Daflon, Eduardo
פורמט: Online
שפה:אנגלית
יצא לאור: Firenze University Press 2025
נושאים:
גישה מקוונת:ONIX_20250801T173835_9791221505627_152
תגים: הוספת תג
אין תגיות, היה/י הראשונ/ה לתייג את הרשומה!
_version_ 1869527164218507264
author Daflon, Eduardo
author_browse Daflon, Eduardo
author_facet Daflon, Eduardo
author_sort Daflon, Eduardo
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description The peasantry formed the most numerous group in the vast course of history in its dialectical diversity and specificity. However, the peasants’ importance was not matched by an equal research effort from historians. Something especially true during any pre-capitalist context in which the absolute relevance of this social class is shaded by the historiographical fascination about the ruling classes of yore. Hence, the present paper aims to contribute for understanding the protagonism of the “hidden subject” that was the early medieval Iberian peasantry between the 5th and 7th centuries. This class is frequently seem as static or – at most – passive. To frame a clearer picture of such an elusive social group this text presents a regional analysis with the articulation of written and archaeological sources in order to capture the peasant agency in the process of struggle with the aristocratic powers. The main hypothesis is that the process of aristocratic weakening in the Douro river basin during the 5th century ensured greater autonomy for this region peasants and that between the 6th and 7th centuries there is a new onslaught of a renewed aristocracy articulated with the State Visigoth. There was, without a doubt, a partially successful aristocratic advance, however, I would like to emphasize precisely the resistance imposed by the peasantry in a long-lasting effort to preserve their living conditions.
format Online
id doab-20.500.12854ir-163463
institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2025
publishDateRange 2025
publishDateSort 2025
publisher Firenze University Press
publisherStr Firenze University Press
record_format ojs
spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-1634632025-08-02T05:10:03Z Chapter Unveiling a hidden subject: peasant agency in the Douro river basin (5th- 7th centuries) Daflon, Eduardo Peasantry Medieval History Iberian Peninsula Early Middle Ages Class struggle The peasantry formed the most numerous group in the vast course of history in its dialectical diversity and specificity. However, the peasants’ importance was not matched by an equal research effort from historians. Something especially true during any pre-capitalist context in which the absolute relevance of this social class is shaded by the historiographical fascination about the ruling classes of yore. Hence, the present paper aims to contribute for understanding the protagonism of the “hidden subject” that was the early medieval Iberian peasantry between the 5th and 7th centuries. This class is frequently seem as static or – at most – passive. To frame a clearer picture of such an elusive social group this text presents a regional analysis with the articulation of written and archaeological sources in order to capture the peasant agency in the process of struggle with the aristocratic powers. The main hypothesis is that the process of aristocratic weakening in the Douro river basin during the 5th century ensured greater autonomy for this region peasants and that between the 6th and 7th centuries there is a new onslaught of a renewed aristocracy articulated with the State Visigoth. There was, without a doubt, a partially successful aristocratic advance, however, I would like to emphasize precisely the resistance imposed by the peasantry in a long-lasting effort to preserve their living conditions. 2025-08-02T05:10:02Z 2025-08-02T05:10:02Z 2025-08-01T15:49:45Z 2024 chapter ONIX_20250801T173835_9791221505627_152 2704-6079 https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/104702 9791221505627 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/163463 eng Reti Medievali E-Book open access image/jpeg Attribution 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/104702/1/43432.pdf Firenze University Press 10.36253/979-12-215-0562-7.06 10.36253/979-12-215-0562-7.06 2ec4474d-93b1-4cfa-b313-9c6019b51b1a 9791221505627 28 Florence open access
spellingShingle Peasantry
Medieval History
Iberian Peninsula Early Middle Ages
Class struggle
Daflon, Eduardo
Chapter Unveiling a hidden subject: peasant agency in the Douro river basin (5th- 7th centuries)
title Chapter Unveiling a hidden subject: peasant agency in the Douro river basin (5th- 7th centuries)
title_full Chapter Unveiling a hidden subject: peasant agency in the Douro river basin (5th- 7th centuries)
title_fullStr Chapter Unveiling a hidden subject: peasant agency in the Douro river basin (5th- 7th centuries)
title_full_unstemmed Chapter Unveiling a hidden subject: peasant agency in the Douro river basin (5th- 7th centuries)
title_short Chapter Unveiling a hidden subject: peasant agency in the Douro river basin (5th- 7th centuries)
title_sort chapter unveiling a hidden subject peasant agency in the douro river basin 5th 7th centuries
topic Peasantry
Medieval History
Iberian Peninsula Early Middle Ages
Class struggle
topic_facet Peasantry
Medieval History
Iberian Peninsula Early Middle Ages
Class struggle
url ONIX_20250801T173835_9791221505627_152
work_keys_str_mv AT dafloneduardo chapterunveilingahiddensubjectpeasantagencyinthedouroriverbasin5th7thcenturies