Enclosure: How the English Lost Their Lands

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  • Опубліковано 4 вер 2024

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  • @KingsandGenerals
    @KingsandGenerals  3 роки тому +747

    We love videos on economic history so much. Hopefully, you also enjoy them!

    • @KiranSingh-zr8jr
      @KiranSingh-zr8jr 3 роки тому +9

      Love your videos!

    • @rubens2004
      @rubens2004 3 роки тому +9

      And i love your channel so much

    • @yusufibntachfin7978
      @yusufibntachfin7978 3 роки тому +3

      We enjoy all of your videos, a big thank you for all of what you do.

    • @andrewkhan4561
      @andrewkhan4561 3 роки тому +2

      huge props for covering this forgotten topic. So important! Please keep videos like this coming

    • @margaretkairu7418
      @margaretkairu7418 3 роки тому +2

      am your greatest fan

  • @hq3473
    @hq3473 3 роки тому +1587

    My wife: get out of the bed! We have errands to do.
    Me: Not now! I need to find out how the English peasants lost their lands.

  • @Artur_M.
    @Artur_M. 3 роки тому +1252

    Interesting to see you covering socioeconomic history. It would be great if you would make a video about serfdom and how it died out in parts of Europe during the Late Medieval and Early Modern period, while getting entrenched and intensifying in other parts. The river Elbe in Germany being the approximate border. I think that this topic isn't talked about much, and when it is, it's full of misconceptions and simplifications.

    • @KingsandGenerals
      @KingsandGenerals  3 роки тому +435

      The script is ready and the video is in the works :-)

    • @Artur_M.
      @Artur_M. 3 роки тому +74

      @@KingsandGenerals That's great!

    • @plafskijenkins1357
      @plafskijenkins1357 3 роки тому +7

      Is that Poland Lithuania coat of arms?

    • @alinalexandru2466
      @alinalexandru2466 3 роки тому +10

      Would also be interesting to hear about the diferrences between serfdom and slavery and when and how each was abolished.

    • @Artur_M.
      @Artur_M. 3 роки тому +16

      @@plafskijenkins1357 It indeed is. I love Poland-Lithuania and its history but I do try to acknowledge its dark sides and serfdom was arguably the worst of them (although the narratives that basically equate it with chattel slavery are gross exaggerations). In any case, it was a hugely important issue, which also went beyond the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

  • @Tommykey07
    @Tommykey07 3 роки тому +428

    "The peasants are revolting!"
    "Yes, they are, aren't they?"

    • @captainclarky5352
      @captainclarky5352 3 роки тому +10

      This joke is so overused lol
      Someone repeats it everytime the peasantry come up

    • @alexv3357
      @alexv3357 3 роки тому +13

      @@maximvsdread1610 *"He ain't got shit all over 'im."

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому +2

      Please also do a video about the systems of land revenue collection that the British introduced in India and their effects, it's really interesting, I'm sure we'd love to see your take on it

    • @benpearson49
      @benpearson49 2 роки тому +3

      "come see the violence inherent in the system!"

    • @howardrickert2558
      @howardrickert2558 2 роки тому

      It’s good to be the king.

  • @FlashPointHx
    @FlashPointHx 3 роки тому +647

    This makes me want to play every medieval city builder game out there

    • @romainvicta117
      @romainvicta117 3 роки тому +27

      Check out Manor Lords, hopefully it will live up to it

    • @Maus_Indahaus
      @Maus_Indahaus 3 роки тому +5

      Any recommendations of such games?

    • @RodolfoGaming
      @RodolfoGaming 3 роки тому +3

      ABSOLUTELY

    • @milosv123344
      @milosv123344 3 роки тому +5

      @@Maus_Indahaus "Manor Lords", but it still isn't out yet.

    • @FlashPointHx
      @FlashPointHx 3 роки тому +3

      @@kaznika6584 Thanks!

  • @benajminfelix7449
    @benajminfelix7449 3 роки тому +31

    Thief's of private property pass their lives in chains, thief’s of public property pass their lives in riches and luxury

  • @Poopdahoop
    @Poopdahoop 3 роки тому +235

    Thank you for presenting Enclosure as more complex than just 'sure it was bad, but this is why we have such agriculture today' and emphasizing that agricultural development was happening before and after enclosure as well, and not solely because of it.

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому +7

      Please also do a video about the systems of land revenue collection that the British introduced in India and their effects, it's really interesting, I'm sure we'd love to see your take on it

    • @toyotaprius79
      @toyotaprius79 8 місяців тому +1

      Basically land theft

    • @adrianalvarez8119
      @adrianalvarez8119 2 місяці тому

      @@toyotaprius79 As every expropiation is, funny to hear modern capitalists say "that's theft" my brother, the inherited wealth of modern capitalists comes directly from theft

  • @aidena8381
    @aidena8381 3 роки тому +386

    Ah thats why the countryside looks the way it does even now.

    • @luistorres6956
      @luistorres6956 3 роки тому +7

      How does it look?

    • @Mauricio-oo3dk
      @Mauricio-oo3dk 3 роки тому +128

      Empty and standarised

    • @aidena8381
      @aidena8381 3 роки тому +98

      lots of square fields

    • @aleksapetrovic6519
      @aleksapetrovic6519 3 роки тому +11

      @@aidena8381 Is that good or bad (never been to England)

    • @linkofvev
      @linkofvev 3 роки тому +30

      @@aleksapetrovic6519 It can be good, as the land remains green and free from development (until the farmers decide to sell up).

  • @Mojo-IRE
    @Mojo-IRE 3 роки тому +155

    There's a docudrama series about the Norman Invasion called "Battle for Middle Earth".
    They gave out some fascinating info at the end:
    When William conquered England in 1066 he took half the land for himself, gave a quarter to the church and the rest he divided among 190ish Noble Norman families. The descendants of William and just those families still own 20% of the land in the entire UK today...

    • @quantjonna293
      @quantjonna293 3 роки тому +6

      Fortunately many of those lands were inherited through female line by english families.

    • @TheWhiteDragon3
      @TheWhiteDragon3 3 роки тому +64

      @@quantjonna293 ...how does that make a difference? The land is still owned by exceedingly wealthy oligarchs.

    • @nosequiters
      @nosequiters 3 роки тому +9

      I feel like its a lot more than 20%

    • @curranlakhani
      @curranlakhani 3 роки тому +33

      @@TheWhiteDragon3 Don't you get it it's fine to be economically and politically oppressed when it's women doing the oppressing. (I'm being Sarcastic for the idiots who can't tell)

    • @blackflagsnroses6013
      @blackflagsnroses6013 3 роки тому +16

      @@curranlakhani makes more sense that it’s fine to be oppressed if it’s your own people. The implication being that fortunately English blood still owns those lands through female Anglo-Saxon nobles giving birth to the landowners

  • @DieNibelungenliad
    @DieNibelungenliad 3 роки тому +250

    The enclosing of private land that was in common use so that it could be in private use of the landlord also happened in Mexico. It would be one of the causes of the Mexican Revolution.
    Where ever there is a rural movement, their concerns are often similar: the landless want land to use, those in debt want to be free, and peace.

    • @MrBottlecapBill
      @MrBottlecapBill 3 роки тому +33

      It's only going to get worse. The wealthy ALWAYS change the laws to suit their needs, in the guise of helping others. Be aware!

    • @pez4
      @pez4 3 роки тому +9

      @@MrBottlecapBill We need a new Julius Caesar to redistribute the lands :(

    • @lordofthered1257
      @lordofthered1257 3 роки тому +23

      @@pez4 Be wary of anyone who said they will fix all your problems if you only give them power. Stalin, Hitler, Lenen, Mao, all of the world's most evil villans say they will help you and lead you into greener fields. Few have ever actually done it.

    • @pez4
      @pez4 3 роки тому +8

      @@lordofthered1257 Of course, even Caesar himself is a controversial figure to say the least.
      Yes, he did pass a bunch of reforms and redistributed the land to the peasants but he was responsible for atrocious acts against the gauls and even other roman factions during the civil war.

    • @penultimateh766
      @penultimateh766 3 роки тому +9

      I only want what everybody else wants: preferential treatment.

  • @Canhistoryismylife
    @Canhistoryismylife 3 роки тому +344

    The law locks up the man or woman
    Who steals the goose off the common
    But leaves the greater villain loose
    Who steals the common from the goose.
    The law demands that we atone
    When we take things we do not own
    But leaves the lords and ladies fine
    Who takes things that are yours and mine.
    The poor and wretched don’t escape
    If they conspire the law to break;
    This must be so but they endure
    Those who conspire to make the law.
    The law locks up the man or woman
    Who steals the goose from off the common
    And geese will still a common lack
    Till they go and steal it back.

    • @jurikurthambarskjelfir3533
      @jurikurthambarskjelfir3533 3 роки тому +11

      Yo Shakespeare, this isn't the right time period

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому +4

      Please also do a video about the systems of land revenue collection that the British introduced in India and their effects, it's really interesting, I'm sure we'd love to see your take on it

    • @Canhistoryismylife
      @Canhistoryismylife 3 роки тому +41

      @@jurikurthambarskjelfir3533 it’s from the seventeenth century the same century as the diggers in the video, better luck next time jurikur

    • @simonchilli2088
      @simonchilli2088 3 роки тому +4

      @@MegaGun2000 Why bring up the British after watching a video about how the English lost their lands?

    • @NathanDudani
      @NathanDudani 3 роки тому

      @@jurikurthambarskjelfir3533 lmao

  • @Anesthesia069
    @Anesthesia069 3 роки тому +9

    As a keen explorer of woodlands, I do find all the fences and "PRIVATE PROPERTY" signs to be utterly frustrating in England....

    • @transsylvanian9100
      @transsylvanian9100 3 роки тому +8

      Private property is theft from humanity.

    • @ianstobie
      @ianstobie 2 роки тому +2

      It's much worse in the USA. At least England has a weaker concept of trespass than is normal in the US, and ancient rights of way and footpaths still sometimes respected. There's also some recent "right to roam" legislation modelled on that of Scotland and Skandinavia.

    • @KarlSnarks
      @KarlSnarks 7 місяців тому +1

      This reminds me of the most political verse of Woody Guthrie's "This land is your land", as the song describes him traversing the land:
      There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;
      Sign was painted, it said private property;
      But on the back side it didn't say nothing;
      This land was made for you and me.

  • @raquetdude
    @raquetdude 3 роки тому +179

    A video on the English civil war factions such as the diggers and levellers would be interesting.

    • @blackflagsnroses6013
      @blackflagsnroses6013 3 роки тому +1

      I said the same!

    • @linkofvev
      @linkofvev 3 роки тому +17

      In 1649, Saint Georges Hill. A ragged band they call the diggers came to show the peoples' will.
      They defied the landlords, they defied the laws, they were the dispossessed, reclaiming what was theirs.

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому +1

      Please also do a video about the systems of land revenue collection that the British introduced in India and their effects, it's really interesting, I'm sure we'd love to see your take on it

    • @amiscellaneoushuman3516
      @amiscellaneoushuman3516 3 роки тому +6

      I wouldn't really describe the Levellers and the Diggers as factions of the *British* Civil Wars, more as political-economic movements which arose again the background of conflicts

    • @sjewitt22
      @sjewitt22 2 роки тому +2

      Working class history is fascinating.

  • @denebaguirre3597
    @denebaguirre3597 2 роки тому +8

    This kind of stuff is more important for universal history than battles and kings. Still there is little attention to this matter from the public at large. So I'm glad to see this kind of videos. Congratulations!

  • @Brahmdagh
    @Brahmdagh 3 роки тому +62

    One of the best K&G videos. Please also make one on the Iqta system and how it impacted medieval Islamic societies' productivity.
    Battles sound exciting, but its seemingly "trivial" stuff like this that decides the fate of the said battles far before the battle lines get drawn.

  • @williamblake1078
    @williamblake1078 3 роки тому +22

    Nice one. I'm up in the Western Isles of Scotland where we had a similar and much better known phenomenon in the Highland Clearances.

  • @napoleonibonaparte7198
    @napoleonibonaparte7198 3 роки тому +338

    Ah yes, the disappearance of the anarcho-syndicalist communes.

  • @josiestockard3870
    @josiestockard3870 3 роки тому +64

    I'm an economic historian and this checks out. Great video.

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому +1

      Please also do a video about the systems of land revenue collection that the British introduced in India and their effects, it's really interesting, I'm sure we'd love to see your take on it

  • @112steinway
    @112steinway 3 роки тому +41

    The law locks up the man or woman
    Who steals the goose off the common
    But leaves the greater villain loose
    Who steals the common from the goose.
    That's the first stanza of a 17th century poem protesting enclosures.

    • @Oldtanktapper
      @Oldtanktapper 2 роки тому +2

      The law demands that we atone,
      When we take things we do not own,
      But spares the lords and ladies fine,
      When they take that which is yours and mine.

  • @dodge33cymru
    @dodge33cymru 3 роки тому +11

    "Landless and more impoverished, benefitting rich landowners."
    You talking about the 1700s or 2010s? Can't really tell the difference in modern Britain. We're about 200 years overdue a revolution.
    Great video thanks, very educational.

  • @johnforbes8282
    @johnforbes8282 3 роки тому +6

    I studied 1760 - 1870 social history at school for GCSE and our syllabus covered Enclosure. This lead to people moving into the cities in the long term.

  • @dankirslis5279
    @dankirslis5279 3 роки тому +9

    I can't tell you how much I appreciate your videos. Public education in my country 🇺🇸 is horrible. Your videos and videos provided by other channels taught me much more than 13 years of school could ever teach me. 🇺🇸 🇬🇧

  • @s1050
    @s1050 3 роки тому +7

    The reason why we in the UK live in one of the most unequal societies

  • @Zee-to3wo
    @Zee-to3wo 3 роки тому +14

    This was a very popular topic in China. I learned the misery of English peasants before learning the English alphabet.

    • @laija4992
      @laija4992 2 роки тому +3

      Damm I found this really funny for some reason 😂😂😂

    • @E4439Qv5
      @E4439Qv5 2 роки тому +3

      @@laija4992 China really hates landlords. Which must be why their government owns all their land now. Can't hate the Chinese government. :^)

    • @OnlineEnglish-wl5rp
      @OnlineEnglish-wl5rp 7 місяців тому

      Perhaps the Chinese could release information about the British ruling class and their land ownings if the UK joins the US in a war with China

  • @ec7696
    @ec7696 3 роки тому +13

    If anyone tells you that property is theft, this is what they mean. They’re also talking about more modern theft such as taxing the poor to protect middle class inheritance.

    • @biteme9486
      @biteme9486 Рік тому

      🙄

    • @rodrigogier
      @rodrigogier 7 місяців тому

      Captards will never understand that. They will fight for their right to be exploited, swearing by God they will be the exploiters some day.

  • @RiseAgainst786
    @RiseAgainst786 3 роки тому +11

    Something on Israel's war on and control of Lebanon, the subsequent displacement by Hezbollah and SLA's rise and fall will be AWESOME. There aren't too many documentaries on those and none even come close to your method of elaboration and visualization.
    Keep up the unbiased and AWESOME work.
    This is GOLD!

  • @sangramsinghrajvi
    @sangramsinghrajvi 3 роки тому +7

    🇮🇳 In India currently Indian govt is in process of passing series of laws & acts which many farmers think , will cause same reactions (as to English peasants in 17-18 centuries).
    Indian farmers are protesting against it by peaceful demonstrations and Marched to capital New Delhi. Apparently stopped at border of Delhi by police violently in name of Corona virus restrictions. These peasants are still protesting on gates of Delhi but biased media corporates chose to be silent. Some independent youtubers and small regional news outlets are publishing their stories, you can search- Indian farmers protest
    Love to Kings and General channel from INDIA 🇮🇳

    • @sangramsinghrajvi
      @sangramsinghrajvi 3 роки тому +4

      I knew Europeans settlers grabbed lands and resources from native Americans in process of colonization.
      I didn't knew they started/implemented this process on their home turf.

    • @entityaccount3876
      @entityaccount3876 3 роки тому

      @@josecipriano3048 'western' corporation have nothing western about them. most are run but non-whites these days. and take great pride in being international multicultural and anti-white.

  • @brokenbridge6316
    @brokenbridge6316 3 роки тому +6

    I had heard about this process. But this video has made me realize that this issue was a lot more complex than I originally thought. My compliments to all those who made this video a reality.

  • @gilbertmccray522
    @gilbertmccray522 3 роки тому +11

    The fact that over half the land is still owned by the nobility of England just blew my mind. I didn't think it would still be like that.

    • @khankrum1
      @khankrum1 3 роки тому +11

      They stole it!

    • @Arthur-pc1eh
      @Arthur-pc1eh 3 роки тому +8

      England, and thus most of the UK, is a state rife with corruption BUILT into its system. Makes it less apparent that the country is a whole money laundering scheme cos it doesn't seem as dirty as Italy or Spain, where corruption is exogenous.

  • @7gromojar
    @7gromojar 3 роки тому +11

    You forgot about big milestone in enclosure, the expulsion of the monks. Monasteries had 1/3 of all English land, and when they had been destroyed in times of Tudor house, all this land was siezed by rich noblemen.

    • @MaylocBrittinorum
      @MaylocBrittinorum 3 роки тому +2

      Interestingly enough, one of the reasons that led to Northern Europe becoming the economic centre of the continent in detriment of the Mediterranean was precisely that. The Reformation and subsequent expropiation of Church land allowed both great landowners and (especially) the urban merchant class to secure vast tracts of land, acquiring large amounts of capital centuries before similar measures were taken in Catholic Europe.

    • @ianstobie
      @ianstobie 2 роки тому +1

      I agree that's very important. But it wasn't the rich nobles who got all the spoils, or the king, as might have happened elsewhere. In England much of the seized Church land was SOLD by the Tudor state. Because it was sold, richer peasants and some city folk were able to buy it.
      This created a large class of medium landowners, called "gentry" in England. This had a profound effect, as the gentry ended up running much of the English countryside, becoming volunteer local magistrates with a key role in the legal system. Their surplus sons entered the military, especially the Royal Navy, contributing an officer layer below the aristocracy. This is one reason why England ended up very different to other European landed societies.
      For example, the earlier seizure of Church land and assets in France, which was substantial but limited to seizing just the property of the dissolved Templar order, mainly benefited just the French monarchy. It didn't expand the rural middle class like the dissolution of the monasteries did in England.

    • @jdlc903
      @jdlc903 2 роки тому +1

      Oh interesting.which why protestantism stuck.these nobles didn't want to return any land.

    • @jeffreyrodrigoecheverria2613
      @jeffreyrodrigoecheverria2613 2 роки тому

      @@MaylocBrittinorum Protestantism really sucks

  • @isengrim1326
    @isengrim1326 3 роки тому +36

    If the Industrial Revolution started in England it is partly due to the enclosure, the privatization of lands having forced the peasants to move to cities to find a job to survive and willing to accept any proposition

    • @fredgillespie5855
      @fredgillespie5855 2 роки тому +12

      And if they couldn't find a job and were forced to beg they were whipped for a first offence, whipped and branded for a second offence and for a third could be hanged or enslaved - or they could be shipped off to the Virginia plantations or the Caribbean as indentured servants. What was that about Rule Britannia and Britons never being slaves?

    • @thebigcapitalism9826
      @thebigcapitalism9826 2 роки тому

      Do you got a source I can look at? Very interesting

    • @Dreyno
      @Dreyno 2 роки тому

      Now imagine the peasants were driven to the periphery to be replaced by planted populations and then the industrial revolution didn’t happen. That’s what happened in Ireland and the result was the Great Famine.

    • @avancalledrupert5130
      @avancalledrupert5130 2 роки тому

      That was the point of it .

    • @chrishutton1458
      @chrishutton1458 2 роки тому +1

      @@Dreyno Potato Blight hit England too. My G-G-G-G-Grandfathers family lost everything.

  • @pete2389
    @pete2389 3 роки тому +43

    Kings and Generals tackles primitive accumulation- unexpected, but a step in the right direction, comrade.

  • @martijnb5887
    @martijnb5887 2 роки тому +4

    At least the reasoning that enclosure was necessary to improve land productivity seems to me invalid. In the Netherlands, ground remained in ownership of the farmers, but patches were exchanged to make mechanical working the land possible (ruilverkaveling). The later approach combines larger area of arable land with individual ownership, which I think leads to higher crop yields.

  • @michaelmurphy2786
    @michaelmurphy2786 3 роки тому +29

    I'm just happy that "norwich" was pronounced correctly. So many times its been nor-witch...so many.

    • @diarmuidbuckley6638
      @diarmuidbuckley6638 3 роки тому +1

      In the period mentioned Norwich was the 3rd biggest port city in England...so yeah rhyme it with Porwich

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому +1

      Please also do a video about the systems of land revenue collection that the British introduced in India and their effects, it's really interesting, I'm sure we'd love to see your take on it

    • @funnycat1957
      @funnycat1957 3 роки тому

      Neither wizard nor witch.

    • @bazzatheblue
      @bazzatheblue 2 роки тому

      Well hes English he should do really.

  • @MucizatTevarih
    @MucizatTevarih 3 роки тому +83

    This is the Kings and Generals channel, and we will catch you on the next one. My favorite part:)

  • @ianwilliams2632
    @ianwilliams2632 3 роки тому +6

    This is great history. Thanks for making this K&G, very comfy shift in tone from normal content. Helping people see the holistic, interconnected nature of life: socio-economic, ecclesiastical, military, political.
    As an Englishman and a follower of William Morris & John Ruskin, however, it is deplorable stuff to learn about. Really godawful that we paved the way for such stupendously systematic greed.

  • @Maus_Indahaus
    @Maus_Indahaus 3 роки тому +61

    I'd like to see an episode on how the Mesopotamian jungles turned into Iraqi desserts

    • @Chaosdwarft
      @Chaosdwarft 3 роки тому +10

      Could you give a source on the subject, this is the first time I heard Mesopotamia had jungles.

    • @matthewbadley5063
      @matthewbadley5063 3 роки тому +31

      @@Chaosdwarft It used to be a lot more fertile in the ancient world, but the biggest blow came in the 20th century. Iraqi governments started draining marshlands for irrigation water and resulted in huge amounts of loss of the natural ecosystem and lots of desertification.

    • @XRioteerXBoyX
      @XRioteerXBoyX 3 роки тому +9

      Well Iraqi water comes from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, and both of them are sourced within the Eastern mountains of Turkey.
      The first thing that can affect water flow within the rivers, would be the climate. If there is a period of less snow fall on the mountains, and less rain. Then naturally the flow of the rivers would go more slowly.
      Secondly, there is a political aspect to this as well. Water is an essential resource. Turkey realises this, and they can pressure the neighbouring countries to give in to their demands by limiting water supply via the construction of dams. Dams can then create an artificial restriction of water, and cause mayhem within the countries until they accede to the demands of Turkey.
      The first problem is something that has been happening over millenia due to the change of climate, and shifting of weather patterns globally.
      The second problem has been an issue that has become more well known since the latter half of the 20th century.
      It's hard to say which of these two problems is more troublesome than the other at this point, but Turkey indeed causes multiple problems to their neighbours even when you take the issue of water restriction out of the equation.

    • @Maus_Indahaus
      @Maus_Indahaus 3 роки тому +1

      @@Chaosdwarft Quick google search found no evidence of my claim, so I might be wrong. No time for more research

    • @XRioteerXBoyX
      @XRioteerXBoyX 3 роки тому +3

      @@comradekenobi6908 I'm waiting for Turkophiles, to see if anyone will come and state facts that are contrary to mine. I'd like to learn more than what I have stated about the topic.

  • @geroutathat
    @geroutathat 2 роки тому +5

    They did the same in Ireland, demanded rent, and then when the potato crop failed, took all the crops that didn't fail, the animals, the fish, exported to england and seen it as a way to get rid of the poor all together so that they could have huge open gardens free from peasants all together.

    • @OnlineEnglish-wl5rp
      @OnlineEnglish-wl5rp 7 місяців тому

      You have the sense that they're planning to do the same across the whole of Europe today

  • @ryanharris1052
    @ryanharris1052 3 роки тому +14

    Very interesting as always. 😀 While Battles are extremely interesting; economic and social history are equally important and often lacking in many historical videos so it’s great to see this area also covered brilliantly. Looking forward to future videos.

  • @Ace0nPoint
    @Ace0nPoint 3 роки тому +2

    I'm really loving this trend from youtube historians to shy away from battles and so on which all get a bit samey anyway, and bring more light on historical politics, economics, etc. Fascinating.

  • @piperar2014
    @piperar2014 3 роки тому +6

    The essay Tragedy of the Commons is built upon a strawman. The notion that commons were unmanaged is absurd. Some were managed well, some were managed poorly. William Lloyd can piss off.

  • @adamschaeffer4057
    @adamschaeffer4057 3 роки тому +12

    I don't even need to watch the video to know the plot. It's happening today. As a child I lived on a large farm 300+ acres of land. Over the years the "feudal lords" began to move in and buy up large swaths of land around us. They improved and improved and drove the cost of land up considerably and ergo drove up personal property taxes. Then they started complaining that our lands were not as improved as their lands. They complained that our "peasant" lands were devaluing the price of their paradise by looking rural and featureless. And so it went, until no longer able to afford the rising costs, we sold and moved away. Then our lands were gobbled up and for all I know are no longer peasant friendly and looking unnaturally, and ironically, un-rural.

  • @Blalack77
    @Blalack77 3 роки тому +5

    I just thought of something as I was watching this. Since most peasants were uneducated and couldn't read or write or understand complex legalese and they couldn't afford to send their children off for higher education, they didn't have a lot of intellectual people to represent and protect their interests - so I was thinking, I know they were poor as dirt, but why couldn't have some of these villages just picked a handful of the smartest and brightest kids and all pitch in and send them off for higher education so there would at least be a few people from their village who were educated and literate and could understand contracts, agreements, laws, etc to help watch out for them and their interests?

  • @balrajmaan467
    @balrajmaan467 3 роки тому +61

    Interesting, I see similar problems coming again to rural communities 😬

    • @carpediem5232
      @carpediem5232 3 роки тому +2

      In what way?

    • @Nickademas1
      @Nickademas1 3 роки тому +16

      @@carpediem5232 Bill gates and John deer tractors and right to repair laws. Also the entire pharmaceutical industry selling you incrementalism in pill form

    • @carpediem5232
      @carpediem5232 3 роки тому

      @@Nickademas1 In the US maybe.

    • @sangramsinghrajvi
      @sangramsinghrajvi 3 роки тому +29

      @@carpediem5232 @carpe diem In India currently Indian govt is in process of passing series of laws & acts which many farmers think , will cause same reactions (as to English peasants in 17-18 centuries).
      Indian farmers are protesting against it by peaceful demonstrations and Marched to capital New Delhi. Apparently stopped at border of Delhi by police violently in name of Corona virus restrictions. These peasants are still protesting on gates of Delhi but biased media corporates chose to be silent. Some independent youtubers and small regional news outlets are publishing their stories, you can search- Indian farmers protest
      Love to Kings and General channel from INDIA 🇮🇳
      जय भारत

    • @MrBottlecapBill
      @MrBottlecapBill 3 роки тому +16

      @@carpediem5232 everywhere. Wealthy people like gates are guying up land all over the world in huge quantities and right to repair isn't just an American issue. Once they win in the US the rest of you will fall instantly. Pay attention. Everything going on today is exactly as it was then. "The great reset" isn't going to make your life better.

  • @AO00720
    @AO00720 3 роки тому +20

    That's the problem with agricultural civilizations, people are easily subjugated. Why are the British okay with 0.06% of the population hording half of the available lands.

    • @twoforty252
      @twoforty252 3 роки тому +7

      The British aren’t ok with it

    • @Vierzehn014
      @Vierzehn014 3 роки тому +2

      Ah yes. Only agricultural society practice subjugation and oppression. You need to read some Orwell bud

    • @francisdec1615
      @francisdec1615 3 роки тому +1

      @@Vierzehn014 YOU are not getting the point. Before civilization was built on agriculture, no states existed but people lived in egalitarian communities or at least MUCH more egalitarian than the state, that is totally built on the principle of psychopaths with weapons and organisation to oppress 98-99% of the people.

    • @RookhKshatriya
      @RookhKshatriya 3 роки тому +4

      Most of the British masses don't even know.

    • @hassanabdikarimmohamed2505
      @hassanabdikarimmohamed2505 3 роки тому +3

      @@francisdec1615 yh, id like to add that even after the Natufians invented agriculture, their afroasiatic descendants like the Cushites and Berbers, adopted a mixture of agriculture and nomadic pastoralism, but ultimately they kept their egalitarian culture of everyone being equal, and even the clan chief or King was merely primus inter pares, not king of Kings but king among equals

  • @AllAmericanGuyExpert
    @AllAmericanGuyExpert 2 роки тому +2

    I've never understood England... until now, and I've studied its history a lot. This video explained what a Commoner really is.

  • @7FlyingPenguin
    @7FlyingPenguin 3 роки тому +6

    As a Brit living now abroad, these graphics make me very nostalgic about the old British countryside. Beautiful green hills, valleys and lots of sheep...

  • @scott2452
    @scott2452 3 роки тому +10

    A good video, though I am surprised the economic concept of “The Tragedy of the Commons” wasn’t discussed more.

    • @Akatoriful
      @Akatoriful 3 роки тому +1

      Mexie has a really good video about that concept and it's flaws on her channel

    • @specialnewb9821
      @specialnewb9821 3 роки тому +2

      @@Akatoriful Many many flaws

    • @DrSpooglemon
      @DrSpooglemon 2 роки тому

      "The Tragedy of the Commons" is just a post hoc rationalisation of what is essentially theft.

    • @scott2452
      @scott2452 2 роки тому

      @@DrSpooglemon interesting thought… doesn’t theft first require proprietary ownership though?

  • @GarrettFruge
    @GarrettFruge 3 роки тому +6

    Fascinating! I've known about the Enclosure movement for several years, but I never read up on the details of it. Cool video!

  • @declanmcnamara2223
    @declanmcnamara2223 2 роки тому +1

    the song 'the world turned upside down' covers something similar to this, how those who worked the common land had it taken from them by a small clutch of rich land owners

  • @EmilReiko
    @EmilReiko 3 роки тому +12

    “Your noble diggers now, stand up now, stand up now”

    • @alexv3357
      @alexv3357 3 роки тому +3

      Your houses they pull down stand up now, stand up now
      With spades and hoes and plows stand up now, stand up now
      The gentry are all round stand up now, stand up now
      Their wisdom so profound to cheat us of our ground
      The clergy they come in and say it is a sin
      That we should now begin our freedom for to win
      'Gainst lawyers and 'gainst priests stand up now stand up now
      For tyrants they are both, even flat against their oath
      To grant us they are loathe, free meat and drink and cloth
      Stand up now diggers all

  • @vaninx2000
    @vaninx2000 3 роки тому +1

    I increasingly enjoy these videos that do not cover only or mostly battles. Keep it up. There is a lot more to history than bloodshed!

  • @NickVenture1
    @NickVenture1 2 роки тому +3

    Hello! Thank you for this great presentation. Instead of getting stuck in a University hall I can educate myself on such valuable subjects by clicking a thumbnail on my smartphone. And even join a conversation in this comments section. Wonderful. Now let me add a personal experience about enclosure in the UK. Years ago I travelled for the first time ever with a large Camping Car over the channel to Britain. I had already a good experience as a Camping Car user on the continent and I quickly noticed that in the UK it is not going to be that easy to use my vehicle and travelling style. Of course what I describe now will just be my impressions of those days and I may not have had the chance to get a better picture. But anyhow I started to notice quite quickly that there were not many places to just stop and rest. There were signs in most places where a vehicle could stop mentioning a time limit and pointing to a business. No parking spaces as we know them in France, Germany and many other continental Europe regions were stopping is welcome and you will not feel under pressure to leave. So these stopping limiting signs were my first annoying surprise although I could suspect that maybe in the UK there may be too many people abusing parking spaces by dwelling on these for too long.. no idea.. We submitted to the local rules and never got a chance to just rest on such parking spaces. We never tried to do some kind of camping of course.. but when you travel and want to sleep a couple hours.. the parking lots graciously provided by most of the continental european nations are a highly appreciated cultural factor. We started to miss this generosity. Next discovery were the quite narrow roads. All this has to do with enclosure to my understanding. Because the "public" space seems really very reduced to the bare minimum in comparison to continental europe road sides. I got the feeling that fences were right beside the asphalt of the roads in quite a few places making it even impossible just to stop a vehicle. We still continued to explore further north starting from Dover, London up to Scotland. If I remember well it was always the same. The landscape became less populated but the fences were always right beside the roads with very few places without somebody signaling his authority. Once we reached the Hadrian's Wall I was able to find a plot were public acess was welcome with a parking lot. So we could stop and visit the ruins of a Roman tower. Still there were special signs forbidding too long presence with vehicles. We were alone there and left. Luckily we discovered a plot of "public or communal" land.. with a kind of forest. There was a Briton with a tiny tent established on it. With a bicycle. He confirmed to us that this place was ok to have a stop without hassle in our camper for the night. Also we spent part of the evening talking about these land issues. Including "Lease Hold Properties" which also appeared quite incredible to me as a typical continental minded person. We still visited the UK for a couple more days noticing substandard public toilets beside some public stopping places. It was ok.. no problem.. we were explorers.Of course we contributed money to the UK economy by purchasing all kinds of supplies. As Camping Car travellers. Not as Hotel dwellers of course. All this gave me reason to think about the origins of these particularities we felt in the UK. I thought.. "these guys missed a revolution maybe?" For sure I felt much more grateful for all the generosity we encounter as citizens on the continent.. I became aware how much effort was put by nations such as France just opposite side of the channel to create every year more and more really beautiful rest and recreation areas all over the country.. were there will be no No Stopping for more than 2 hours signs and which are NOT controlled by Fast Food Chains. I thought about the Britons how they feel when they cross the channel and see all these free to enjoy places.. roadsides with forests just to walk in.. or fields were nobody will care that you stop and have a pic nic. So all this brings us back to excessive enclosure. Which as a historical event led to the desire of millions of freedom loving people to rather get onto a sailing boat and leave this Britain behind to start another life in America or Australia.. or even just Europe up to today.We keep good memories of our Camping Car trip to Scotland but one time was enough. Did I get it right?

    • @algernonsidney8746
      @algernonsidney8746 Рік тому

      The enclosures were a terrible crime but the reason why British people go to Europe nowadays has absolutely nothing to do with the enclosures. There are also plenty of places where car drives can stop and throughout the country there are plenty of parks and natural reserves available to the public. You are account is therefore an exaggeration.

  • @rhor1882
    @rhor1882 3 роки тому +2

    Is this part of the reason why we have Freehold and Leasehold in the UK? Freehold being you own the land, leasehold is where you are given a lease to use the land, which then expires, typically in around 90 - 120 years, and after that the land returns to the freeholder.

  • @TheClownesque
    @TheClownesque 3 роки тому +6

    I thought this was going to be about how the *English* English lost their lands after Hastings. I still can't wrap my head around how an entire class of entrenched nobility were uprooted so fast. Do you have a video on that yet?

    • @chrishutton1458
      @chrishutton1458 2 роки тому +1

      The Normans were vicious in the way they dealt with the people.
      When Henry II (born and died in France, to French-Norman parents and only spoke French) became King,
      he did quite well fighting for land in France,
      failed to conquer the Scots,
      had his Archbishop killed,
      Invaded Ireland, to make up for not beating Scotland.
      He was French-Norman. Nothing to do with me.

  • @NYCfrankie
    @NYCfrankie 3 роки тому +49

    Great topic

  • @TheGermanKnowsBest
    @TheGermanKnowsBest 3 роки тому +20

    And another watershed effect the enclosure movement had was the specialization and modernization of private property laws which carried over to the US and other Common Law countries. In essence, the economics that drove enclosure helped transform the legal and technological development of surveying/possessing land in the legal system.

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому +1

      Please also do a video about the systems of land revenue collection that the British introduced in India and their effects, it's really interesting, I'm sure we'd love to see your take on it

  • @fsul8536
    @fsul8536 3 роки тому +3

    Quite ironic that now St George's Hill is a private estate full of mansions where only millionaires and celebrities lives.

  • @BeratLjumani
    @BeratLjumani 3 роки тому +4

    *Me to the peasants I just kicked off my land*
    "Oh no your upset oh dear, orchestra play something sad."

  • @richardsleep2045
    @richardsleep2045 2 роки тому +1

    I Just saw a talk here by The Borough of Twickenham Local History Society about the encampments on Hounslow Heath - this video is relevant, I can see how the Heath disappeared. Thanks, Subscribed :)

  • @biggusdickus4142
    @biggusdickus4142 3 роки тому +3

    Never thought a video about patches of dirt could be so interesting

  • @zulubanshee
    @zulubanshee 2 роки тому +2

    Super high quality content! Wish there were more like it.

  • @okosuntom2808
    @okosuntom2808 3 роки тому +7

    An interesting piece of British history
    Learning quite a lot from this channel

    • @ciaranmck4469
      @ciaranmck4469 3 роки тому

      English*

    • @henriashurst-pitkanen8735
      @henriashurst-pitkanen8735 3 роки тому +2

      @@ciaranmck4469 Nah, British. It happened across Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

    • @ciaranmck4469
      @ciaranmck4469 3 роки тому

      @@henriashurst-pitkanen8735 didn't say it didn't happen did I chicken ballsack all I said was that the video is about England ye daft knob

  • @TheOldBlackShuckyDog
    @TheOldBlackShuckyDog 2 роки тому +2

    There's an issue with the picture you've used in that fields used to be much bigger before enclosure and in the 'open field system', a strip wouldn't be one of those 'smaller' fields as seen in the picture but a tiny strip of land on one of (usually 3, but could vary from 2 up to 7-8) mammoth fields, with accompanying common greens and waste land.
    You also missed the inclusion of likely the second biggest land owner in any village, glebe land, land which belonged to the church and which was controlled by the parish priest.

  • @tezcanuyank3446
    @tezcanuyank3446 3 роки тому +3

    Another great video but when you gonna make ottoman military equipment and tactics series?

  • @haydnjones7273
    @haydnjones7273 2 роки тому +1

    Age of Empires 4 sent me here. I play the English and they have farms (which gather food) and you can upgrade them in the castle age to enclosure which then gives you gold too. Quite amazing how much the game has taught me and urged me to watch videos like this when i wouldn't never of even thought of it.

  • @tristenbrown7099
    @tristenbrown7099 3 роки тому +3

    Awesome video! I would love more of this type of content.

  • @deathdoor
    @deathdoor 3 роки тому +2

    4:50 This remembers me Joan of Arc.
    Kids usually had the job of looking after the animals grazing to also not let they run out of control and damage crops. Jeanne was often scolded because she would get distracted with her visions.

  • @BlackfyreNoa
    @BlackfyreNoa 3 роки тому +21

    I mean the alternative to enclosure, with the hindsight of today, would be to have democratic ownership over this local land.

    • @xXx_Baba-Smoker_xXx
      @xXx_Baba-Smoker_xXx 3 роки тому

      @Joey Wheeler Democratic

    • @leechowning2712
      @leechowning2712 2 роки тому

      That is what they had... but when "nobody" owned the land... there was nobody in position to resist the wealthy from removing people from the area.

    • @nickb3164
      @nickb3164 2 роки тому +1

      yes, thats what the "evil" socialists want, so dont you dare think about it!

  • @carlosespinoza4693
    @carlosespinoza4693 3 роки тому +2

    Another side of this topic I haven't seen done is peasants running away from what is essentially a form of slavery (you belong to the land and the land belongs to some rich guy) to live freely in the wilderness. It happened alot in America and Eastern Europe (cossacks) that I know of, though I'm sure it happened everywhere.
    The struggle between civilization and freedom was only really lost when the gunpowder age began.

    • @charlescook5542
      @charlescook5542 3 роки тому

      Yeah the gypsies would be an interesting topic to cover, I don’t know if they have any written records though.

    • @carlosespinoza4693
      @carlosespinoza4693 3 роки тому

      @@charlescook5542 it would have to be speculative but I still think it would be interesting

  • @SumErgoCogito10
    @SumErgoCogito10 3 роки тому +19

    The land belongs to those who work it - Emiliano Zapata

    • @khankrum1
      @khankrum1 3 роки тому +1

      The land belongs to whoever has the biggest gun!

    • @henriashurst-pitkanen8735
      @henriashurst-pitkanen8735 3 роки тому +2

      @@khankrum1 This says absolutely nothing and is a daft quote I would read on a videogame loading screen

  • @joedelorbe5410
    @joedelorbe5410 3 роки тому +2

    This was fantastic. I hope this is the start of a trend and you produce more videos on economic history.

  • @lucfon9994
    @lucfon9994 3 роки тому +3

    Interesting topic, and great that you also include this socioeconomical approach in your videos.

  • @karlelliot-gough8668
    @karlelliot-gough8668 2 роки тому +1

    I loved your impartiality on what is a very emotive issue, you presented the historical socioeconomic context excellently, shall be watching more, thank you.

  • @lerneanlion
    @lerneanlion 3 роки тому +8

    Next episode: Arab Agricultural Revolution: How the Muslim Arabs introduced the fruits and vegetatables from Asia to Europe, restored and improved the irrigtion system.

  • @damenwhelan3236
    @damenwhelan3236 2 роки тому +1

    Now this shyt gets my blood pumping.
    How the actual influences and impacts affected long term society.

  • @nevg5908
    @nevg5908 3 роки тому +3

    Never learned about this in history class...thanks!

  • @Rajj854
    @Rajj854 2 роки тому +2

    They did this in India as well. Land held in common by villages for centuries, was confiscated and given to British collaborators. It caused massive hardship and deaths.

  • @bigdallyc
    @bigdallyc 3 роки тому +14

    The beginning of capitalism. Lol

  • @Resuge
    @Resuge 3 роки тому +2

    You should also talk about how the Enclosure process gave rise to modern economics and how political economists tried to solve the problem of land.

    • @Arthur-pc1eh
      @Arthur-pc1eh 3 роки тому +2

      Proto-Capitalism created the problem and then proposed the solution, the concept of limited market 🤦🏾‍♂️

  • @jazzman1919
    @jazzman1919 3 роки тому +31

    Chapter 26 of Capital Vol. 1: The (So-Called) Secret of Primitive Accumulation

    • @busnello1987
      @busnello1987 3 роки тому +4

      a "must read" in sociology.

    • @hinchadelrojo19
      @hinchadelrojo19 3 роки тому +5

      @@busnello1987 read it for history of sociological knowledge I

  • @edgychico9311
    @edgychico9311 3 роки тому +6

    Till these days they're still fighting about the lands in the UK.

  • @gm2407
    @gm2407 3 роки тому +47

    Kings and Generals: More like 'Themes and Principles of Historical Ecconomics'. Nice!
    Suggestion of topic. The de-industrialisation of India under colonial rule.
    Rise of businesses through the centuries and their impact on nations. Companies, Merchants, Banks, institutions.

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому

      Please also do a video about the systems of land revenue collection that the British introduced in India and their effects, it's really interesting, I'm sure we'd love to see your take on it

    • @MegaGun2000
      @MegaGun2000 3 роки тому

      YES, YES PLEASE!!!
      NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT 😭

    • @catalyst772
      @catalyst772 3 роки тому

      Tbh Economy is closely Related to Warfare.

    • @gm2407
      @gm2407 3 роки тому +3

      @@catalyst772 The economics of warfare logistics is only a part of economics in the same way that diplomacy is an extension of both war and politics. Ultimately economics is competative resource aquisition and management; sadly this is the basis of civilisation, and with that we find the government/religions/ethical moral theories are just the conceit behind the operational activities to motivate people.

  • @CharlieThunder24
    @CharlieThunder24 3 роки тому +3

    Patrick O'Brian included this concern in his later books in his Master and Commander Aubrey Maturin series.

  • @davidleroth8644
    @davidleroth8644 3 роки тому +4

    I love this kind of content! Please keep it coming

  • @corndogrequiem1728
    @corndogrequiem1728 3 роки тому +12

    Gotta love how history repeats itself.

    • @stevencooper4422
      @stevencooper4422 3 роки тому +2

      All we need now is another Robert Kent to act like he is on the people's side....

  • @stevensmith4150
    @stevensmith4150 3 роки тому +8

    Rothbard once noted that, "Economic history is either written by historians who know nothing about economics or economists who know nothing of history." Lets hope this channel avoids such pitfalls XD

  • @exarder1377
    @exarder1377 3 роки тому +2

    Very interesting video! Thanks :)

  • @AnEnemy100
    @AnEnemy100 2 роки тому +3

    We still live with the impact of this. Anybody wondering why our houses are smaller and more expensive than anywhere else in Europe will find answers here.

  • @kartoffsun
    @kartoffsun 2 роки тому +1

    So that's why the industrialization started in England and not somewhere else! Fascinating!

  • @toerogaine5390
    @toerogaine5390 3 роки тому +5

    This is among K&G's best work, a terrifically written and animated document; love the economics.

  • @jonathanmunroe3597
    @jonathanmunroe3597 Рік тому

    That was really good. Thanks. As an Irish person and coming from an agricultural background, I cant recall ever thinking about pre agricultural revolution and the enclosures in particualr those circumstances that predated the industrial revolution also

  • @jaylouis4679
    @jaylouis4679 3 роки тому +8

    Love insights on economic history and for anyone interested on a recent book on the subject I can really recommend The Verge Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World by Patrick Wyman which does have a chapter on the dynamics of the English enclosure system. Since the author of that book has an history podcast a collab between Wyman's tides of history and K&G would be a dream come true

  • @thonkidsoverasaksri8084
    @thonkidsoverasaksri8084 3 роки тому +2

    will you make video about english wool trade it's very interesting and very important for england in medieval period

  • @itTafsir
    @itTafsir 3 роки тому +19

    this is actually one of the most important historical processes of modern history & is deeply tied to the origin of capitalism. there are also many interesting parallels with how Israel has confiscated Palestinian lands & resources - forcing many into wage labor within the illegal settlements.

  • @jayayerson8819
    @jayayerson8819 3 роки тому +2

    It is not ironic that the 'diggers', also known as the 'True Levellers', supported social progress while opposing economic injustice. There is no contradiction.
    Also, the limited enclosures before the 17th century do not especially undermine the trend of lords throwing people off their land to run sheep at the height of the practice.
    Less controversial sources are commonly available.

  • @EloiFL
    @EloiFL 3 роки тому +3

    Very important topic to understand the industrial revolution

  • @welshpete12
    @welshpete12 2 роки тому +1

    This is interesting. Where I live in Wales, it is possible to see this in the field plan . Looking down from high up on a mountain . Some fields are small and irregular in size . Others are much larger with straight edges to their boundaries .

  • @joeshmoe8345
    @joeshmoe8345 3 роки тому +6

    Heck yeah, thanks to all y’all for doing this on the reg

  • @iceleafofalba
    @iceleafofalba 3 роки тому +1

    This is why I love your channel! Incredible work 💓🙌🏽💓