Medieval Watermill

Timeline

1. 800–1200Monasteries in Francia and Germany · Western EuropeMonasteries and manorial estates built dams, channels, and vertical waterwheels on rivers, upgrading grain grinding from hand pounding to continuous water-powered operation and laying the foundation of medieval rural power machinery.
2. 1241–1250Countryside of England and France · FranceManorial surveys and royal decrees show that the number of watermills peaked in the mid-13th century, and mill tolls (multure) became an important source of lords' income; the same waterwheel systems also drove fulling mills and sawing machinery, expanding the range of water-power applications.
3. 1250–1400Textile towns of Flanders · FlandersTowns in Flanders and northern Italy built fulling waterwheels on a large scale, replacing manual fulling of woolen cloth with mechanical beating, spurring a leap in wool textile capacity, and extending watermills from rural grain processing to the core of urban industrial power.