Stefan Pajung: Commercialisation and Consumption in South Western Jutland, c. 1500–1650

This article analyses patterns of consumption and the degree of commercialisation among the peasantry of south western Jutland between c. 1500 and 1650 through an analysis of two merchant account books in order to identify trends toward economic specialisation of agriculture and use of natural resources. The analysis suggests the existence of different “economic landscapes” within the region, i.e. territorial economic communities distinguished by geography, production systems and trade relations. Integration into the Hanseatic-North European market brought wider ranges of the local population into contact with the cultural achievements, commodities, habits and fashions circulating within this wider trade system. This development was not limited to the coastal population, but evenly affected the rural population’s elites, who invested in objects that signified sophistication and wealth – commodities associated with the urban hanseatic culture such as cloth or beer. While the 16^th century was characterised by economic expansion and a high level of consumption, after 1620 economic crisis, wars and taxation led to contraction in the level of consumption.

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