Chapter Disuguaglianza, impoverimento e pauperismo nell'Occidente latino (XI-XIV secolo)

Abstract

The fundamental inequality in Western societies is rooted in the position of those who are exposed to the risks inherent in economic life, even in a context of global growth. These risks create permanent insecurity, while impoverishment is a constant threat to those who depend solely on their work for their livelihood. Price instability, combined with inadequate wages, creates a mass of poor workers who depend for their survival on both public or private charity and, more rarely, on the solidarity of the social body. This essay examines the social consequences of the situations of insecurity characteristic of medieval societies.