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
Tag: food systems
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
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
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
The Politics of the English Grain Trade, 1314-1815 