European Post Windmill

Timeline

1. 1180–1240Flanders · FlandersFarmers and craftsmen in Flanders and Zeeland built turnable post windmills, harnessing stable coastal monsoons to power mills and compensate for the uneven distribution of river-powered watermills.
2. 1241–1250East coast of England and Normandy · EnglandPost windmills spread to England and northern France along Channel trade and migration networks; manors and towns commonly ground grain by windmill, reducing dependence on hand pounding and long-distance grain purchases and supporting food supply during population growth.
3. 1250–1400Low Countries · Low CountriesCraftsmen improved sail-angle adjustment and braking devices, and developed the tower mill, whose top alone rotates to carry larger millstones; post mills remained widely used for small rural mills, forming an important link in the lineage of medieval northwestern European grain-processing technology.