中世纪晚期和近代早期英国自由农研究

作者：李彦雄

导师：侯建新

答辩时间：2007年6月

内容提要

中世纪英国自由农的核心最初是自由持有农。自由持有农是在农奴制形成的过程中发展而来的一个农民阶层，主要来源于从欧洲大陆进入英格兰的法兰克人、原丹麦法区的索克曼人及少量维兰。

英国自由农在中世纪经历了一个不断发展和壮大的过程，在农奴制形成时期只是农村人口中的少数，到中世纪晚期（最晚到15世纪）自由农已经取代维兰成为英国主要的农村人口。自由农的发展主要表现在两个方面。第一，自由农的数量不断壮大。随着农民个体力量的不断发展，富裕起来的农奴有的通过货币赎买获得了自由，有的通过逃亡获得了自由，但最终促使农奴消亡的是作为农奴身份主要标志的劳役地租为货币地租所取代。货币地租的确立使得农奴和领主之间的依附关系逐渐演变为货币关系，从而使惯例土地上的公簿持有农和契约租地农也成为了自由农民。第二，以自由农的普遍发展为基础，在英国出现了一个富裕的农民——约曼阶层。

英国自由农的发展呈现出明显的地区不平衡，具体差别是：英格兰东部和西南部地区农奴向自由农的转变发生较早、步伐较快，中部地区和米德兰平原发生的相对较晚、步伐也相对缓慢；东部和西南部地区自由农经济上相对富裕，中部和米德兰平原则相对落后；东部和西南部自由农的主体是自由持有农，中部和米德兰地区却以惯例佃农——公簿持有农为主。造成这种状况的主要原因是各地惯例中保障劳动者个体权利的因素存在一定差别，东部和西南部地区惯例中保障农民个体权利的因素相对较强，中部和米德兰地区保障农民个体权利的因素相对较弱。

自由农阶层对英国社会做出了不可磨灭的贡献。中世纪晚期和近代早期的自由农不仅是英国劳动者的主体，而且在地方行政、司法事务中发挥了重要作用，是国库的主要纳税人、民族军队的主力和王权的重要依托力量之一，被称为“乡村社会的脊梁”。他们中的富裕农民上层，采用新型雇佣经济，面向市场生产，成为了新型资本主义生产方式的开创者，在经济转型和社会转型中发挥了骨干和主力军的作用，在转型期激烈的竞争中失利的普通小农则为资本主义农场和工业的发展提供了工资雇工的来源。

自由农的普遍发展孕育了英国的资本主义生产方式，又在资本主义的发展中发生分化，并最终作为一个社会阶层而衰落了。随着资本主义的发展，工农业在国民经济中的比例发生倒转，农业比例越来越小，自由农阶层随之衰落，一些富裕自由农跻身上层社会或成为了资本主义企业主，其主体则在激烈的竞争中被吞噬，最终沦为了工业雇用工人和农业雇用工人，甚至是流浪者。大体说来，在议会圈地高潮之后的19世纪中期英国自由农作为一个社会阶层已不复存在了。

 

关键词   自由农  英国  社会转型 

Abstract

In medieval England, the nuclcus of free tenants was the freeholders or freemen of the manor, the main body of their forebears was franc people or franklin who had come from Europe continent, sokemen and a few of villiens. Because of the growths of tenant individual economy and rights, by late medieval England the coyholders and leaseholders all had changed into free peasants. At least in 15century free peasants had instead of villein become the main rural people. 

The free peasants had come through a constant growths in middle ages. Escape, redeem and court struggle were the main ways of villein emancipation, but the final disappearance of serfdom mostly becaused of the establish of money rent, By establish of money rent , the coperholders and leaseholders changged into free peasants. Because of the free peasants development, England emerged a well-to-do free tenant estate-yeomenry, and the free peasants number had a continuous increase course during the late Middle Ages and the ealy Modern Times.

Historical evidence showed that the free peasants’ growth had exist regional differences during the late of medieval and the early of modern times in England. In both of the east and southwest of England the course of villien tanslating into free peasant had been earlier than in the midland and central regions, the majority of free peasants was freeholder in east and southwest, and in midland and central regions it was copyholder. And the free peasants in east and southwest were more wealthy than in midland and central regions. The critical reason of causing the regional defferences of the rising of free peasants was the regional defferences of the factors of safeguarding tanant individual right in local customs, In midland and central regions the customs of safeguarding tanant individual right were relatively weaker than in east and southwest.

The free peasantry had great contribution in English history. They not only had created the most wealthy, but also played an important role in local administration and local justice affairs during the late of middle ages. They not only were the main taxpayer of exchequer, but also were the main force of nation military and an important support of kingship. They had been described as the backbone of the English nation by some historians. The majority of them was the main labour supply of capitalistic farm and rustic industry, and the upper of wealthy peasants had formed a new type of production mode, i.e. the mode of capitalism production. The free peasantry had acted an backbone role in the economy changes and the society changes during late of middle age and early modern times in English.

However, As result of development of capitalist economy, the proportion of industry and agriculture turned over, the free peasantry estate had declined in England during several centuries that tanslating from traditional society into captlism society. Some of the upper wealthy free peasants had become industrial and agricultural capitalists, and the majority of them had disspeared in competition, abundant of them had become industrial and agricultural labours, and a few had become landless vagrants.The writer believes that the free peasantry calss had disappeared in the middle of 19 century after the upsurge of parliament enclosure was accorded with history.

 

[Keywords] Free peasant  England  Social transition

 

目  录

第一章 导 论. 1

第一节 选题的意义及研 究方法. 1

第二节 学术史回顾. 2

第三节 本文的基本思路. 17

第二章 自由农的历史渊源. 18

第一节 盎格鲁萨克森时期的自由小农. 18

第二节 11-13世纪的自由农的来源. 19

小 结. 25

第三章 自由农的发展. 26

第一节 自由农发展的社会条件. 26

第二节 自由农的发展. 42

第三节 富裕“约曼”的兴起. 47

第四节 自由农数量的增加. 51

小 结. 56

第四章 自由农发展的地区不平衡及其原因. 57

第一节 自由农发展的地区不平衡. 57

第二节 自由农地区发展不平衡的几种解释. 62

第三节 自由农发展地区不平衡的主要原因. 74

小 结. 78

第五章 自由农的历史贡献. 81

第一节 乡村社会的脊梁. 81

第二节 自由农的发展与资本主义农场主的诞生. 88

第三节 社会转型和变革的主力. 92

第六章 自由农的分化. 95

第一节 自由农分化的原因. 95

第二节 自由农分化的表现. 107

结束语. 118

参考文献. 121

后 记. 132