Pastoralism and ploughing or fishing and salt production?: a mixed economy on the new medieval coast of Laguna de Aveiro

Bastos, Rosário

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.2/20266

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Authors

Bastos, Rosário

Abstract(s)

It is used to be notice that Portugal and the lagoon of Aveiro was born at the same time. In fact, when D. Afonso Henriques clamed (successfully) the king title near his cousin Afonso VII and the Pope Alexandre III, a new coastline was draft south of the Porto and north of the Coimbra geographic parallels. Between 10th and 11th centuries, a sandy spit began to grow and progressively closed a large gulf that would become Aveiro’s Lagoon. The formation of a coastline protected from direct action of sea waves, facilitated fishing and, above all, the production and exploitation of sea salt (medieval “white gold”). Meanwhile, on the sandy spit grazed animals from the Grijó monastery to which this territory belonged. Over time, the demographic growth characteristic of the medieval warm period, was combined with the definitive pacification of the area, which meant that the overpopulation north of the River Douro moved to this rich coastal nook. The Inquirições demonstrate the necessity to cultivate new agricultural land to satisfy the increasing demand for foodstuffs. Consequently, the region, which is now encompassed by the Aveiro lagoon, reached its apogee between fishing, salt, grazing and agriculture, around the 13th century.