Vererbungsstrategien und bäuerliche Familienwirtschaft in der vormodernen Agrargesellschaft

The study of inheritance customs in northern and southern areas of Germany shows that peasant inheritance customs such as impartible inheritance (Einzelerbfolge) and partible inheritance (Realteilung) had a great influence on the development of peasant farms and rural family structures in the Middle Ages and in modern times. The composition and size of peasant families and their farm economy depended both on the power of the lords and the inheritance customs in various regions. In areas dominated by partible inheritance smaller farms and families prevailed, whereas areas whose laws favoured impartible inheritance tended to have much greater households. The manorial lords tried to preserve the original size of the holdings and to prevent further land divisions in order to maintain the profitability of the peasant farm economy. For this reason they urged their peasants to leave their farms to a single heir, who was expected to be married.But the lords only succeeded in their intentions if soil conditions and climatic circumstances were favourable to keeping large peasant farms.