Three-field rotation system

Timeline

1. c. 900–920Northern France · FranceThe traditional two-field system left about half the arable land fallow each year; under population pressure and manor expansion, peasants and monasteries began experimenting with dividing land into three blocks to shorten the fallow period.
2. c. 920–960Rhineland · RhinelandArable land rotated among winter-sown grain, spring-sown grain (such as oats and legumes), and fallow; legumes fixed nitrogen and improved soil, so only one-third of a given field lay fallow each year rather than one-half.
3. c. 960–980Benedictine monastery manors · BurgundyBenedictine and other monasteries recorded three-field rotation arrangements in their manor account books and agricultural rules, spreading the farming pattern to surrounding manors through monastic networks.
4. c. 980–1000Western Europe · Western EuropeBy around 1000 CE, three-field rotation had become the dominant farming system in France, the Rhineland, and parts of England; combined with heavy plows and horse traction, it significantly increased food surplus and supported the expansion of the feudal manor economy.