Life in the Time of Famine: Agen in the 1690s

Abstract

Material scarcity was the norm for all of humanity prior to the advent of industrial production. Famine represented the agricultural manifestation of this norm. This thesis argues that one must explore famine within the context of everyday life in the pre-modern period in other to best understand its causes, effects, and communal responses. Rather than sensationalizing famine, this thesis presents dearth through the example of the southwestern French town of Agen during the famine years of the 1690s. The people of Agen in this decade experienced the most severe famine to strike early modern France as well as the deadliest mass mortality event to strike the country between the Black Death and the present day. By exploring parish registers, alongside climatic and price data, this thesis paints a picture of famine, its mechanisms, and the behavioral responses of the Agenais community.