Chapter Socio-economic inequalities during the conjuncture of the fourteenth century: sources and methods, dynamics and representations (Italy and Europe, c. 1270 - c. 1350). An outline

Abstract

The chapter discusses the characteristics, dynamics and evolution of socio-economic inequalities during the fourteenth-century conjuncture, integrating the main findings of the essays of this edited volume with further evidence and insights from past and current research. After setting out the historiographical context of the volume, the chapter discusses the aims, timeframe and concepts used. The core of the chapter is then divided into four sections, each focusing on the sources, proxies and methods used to study inequality, the quantitative and qualitative evidence found, and the perceptions, representations and responses to the unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity in Western Europe and Central-Northern Italy between 1270 and 1347. The chapter concludes by discussing the development and causalities of the evolution of socio-economic inequalities during the fourteenth-century conjuncture.