Medieval Heavy Plow

Timeline

1. c. 600–650Rhine and Elbe river basins · Germanic regionsGermanic farming communities developed, on the basis of late Roman plows, heavy iron plows with moldboards capable of turning heavy soil ridges, breaking the soil, and covering seedlings, adapting to the lowland soil conditions of Northern Europe's humid climate.
2. c. 650–700Frankish kingdom and the Low Countries · Western EuropeHeavy plow technology spread to Northwestern Europe with the expansion of the Frankish kingdom and the management of monastic estates; together with the emergence of the three-field rotation system, it allowed previously hard-to-plow marsh edges and clay lands to be reclaimed.
3. c. 680–700Farms of Northern Europe · Western EuropeBecause the heavy plow required multiple oxen to pull it, it promoted collective village plowing cooperation and strip allocation of fields; by the end of the 7th century it had become the standard farm implement of Northwestern European estates, laying the productive foundation for subsequent medieval agricultural expansion.