Author: politicsofgrain

Danzig’s Great Mill and the renown of its master mill builder

The city of Gdańsk has a historical centre with several striking buildings which can make any historian’s heart beat faster, even with the knowledge that they were partly rebuilt after the destructions of World War II. Most interesting from the perspective of early technology and industry are the magnificent fifteenth-century Crane along the River Motława,… Continue reading Danzig’s Great Mill and the renown of its master mill builder

Project Conference: The Comparative History of the Grain Trade, c.1500-1800

The Politics of the English Grain Trade Project are hosting a two-day conference, 9-10 June 2025 at All Souls College, Oxford, on the comparative history of the grain trade. The trade in grain and bread in early modern Europe has been studied from various perspectives. The international grain trade is one of them. From the late… Continue reading Project Conference: The Comparative History of the Grain Trade, c.1500-1800

Local Milling Monopolies and the Lack of Milling Capacity in Early Modern Sweden

The next in our series of guest blogs for 2024 which explore issues relating to the grain trade across Europe in the period 1315-1815. Mills were among the most important infrastructure in Early Modern Europe, as grain – which was the main source of calories for premodern populations – had to be ground before consumption.… Continue reading Local Milling Monopolies and the Lack of Milling Capacity in Early Modern Sweden

Mulling over the Millers: Insights on Guild and Governance in Eighteenth-Century Brussels.

This blog is the first in a series of guest blogs planned for 2024 which explore issues relating to the grain trade across Europe in the period 1315-1815. The city of Brussels was, among others, home to the millers’ guild, a group which up until the second half of the eighteenth century held the privilege… Continue reading Mulling over the Millers: Insights on Guild and Governance in Eighteenth-Century Brussels.

Eating hand to mouth: The domestic milling sector in England

Bread has always been a dietary staple in England. Today bread is mass-produced and the majority of us in England buy our bread from the supermarkets. However, despite being a dietary staple, consumption of bread has decreased over the centuries. In the past bread, along with other grain-based staples such as ale and oatmeal, comprised… Continue reading Eating hand to mouth: The domestic milling sector in England

Interventions in the food market: public grain stocks in pre-industrial Europe

For the last seventy years or so people in western Europe have been able to rely on the free market to provide them with a great variety of foodstuffs at affordable prices.  Currently, however, food prices in the supermarkets of western European countries are rising dramatically and in some cases customers encountered empty shelves. Households… Continue reading Interventions in the food market: public grain stocks in pre-industrial Europe

New insights from a quantitative analysis of the English and Baltic grain trade using the Sound Toll Register

The Sound Toll Register is a valuable source of information on trade patterns in the Baltic region from 1497 to 1857. It is a detailed record of the tolls collected on goods passing through the Danish-controlled Sound, a narrow strait that connects the Baltic Sea to the North Sea. The register provides information on the… Continue reading New insights from a quantitative analysis of the English and Baltic grain trade using the Sound Toll Register

Food systems past and present: the history and politics of grain

This blog featured first on History Matters, a blog series run by the University of Sheffield History Department. Thanks to the editors for also allowing us to share it here. The politics of grain found new relevance at the beginning of this year when Putin’s war with Ukraine sparked fears of a ‘global food crisis’.… Continue reading Food systems past and present: the history and politics of grain