Medieval Economic History in Comparative Perspective
Medieval Europe's material life and economic institutions get examined alongside contemporary Islamic, Chinese, and central Asian societies in this MIT OpenCourseWare course. Topics include the rise and decline of feudal institutions, changes in peasant agriculture, living standards, the spread of epidemic disease, and long-distance trade across the Eurasian system. Special attention goes to the institutional and technological factors that pushed Western Europe toward capitalist organization and sustained economic growth, in contrast to the different paths taken by Islamic, Chinese, and central Asian economies over the same period. The course provides MIT's syllabus, readings, and assignments as part of the OpenCourseWare initiative, free to access online. It suits students of economic history or comparative world history looking for a structured, source-based treatment of medieval material conditions rather than a narrative survey.