La dîme en contexte
La dîme sur le métier
For this reason, since the 1960s, the ecclesiastical tithe has been the object of studies in several countries, as it was thought to be a possible indicator of the agricultural production. Its study in Vaud under the Bernese Ancien Regime tries to take them further, by offering historical insights not only about regional economical conditions, but also about Switzerland and Europe. Furthermore, it offers scholars a unique comparison material.
La dîme en question
La dîme sous contrôle
As soon as Vaud was conquered, the Bernese State was confronted with the old customs, choosing to deal with them rather than abolishing them. It inventoried them, codified them and influenced them with its own legislative will. It pursued the unification of the legal system with constancy, using law rather than imposing. Its obstinate legalism certainly preserved it from popular upheavals, even if did not avoid grudges and local resistance.
The same goes for the tithe and its capital importance for the Public Treasure. Using trials and sovereign judgement, the tithe legislation managed to distinguish lasting habits from particular or consensual abuse as far as imposition, franchise and perception goes. With its case law, it will manage to limit fraud and specifities, without eliminating a certain degree of vagueness, typical of the time.
La dîme en pagaïe
La dîme à tâtons
La dîme en zestes
To what originality can the tithe in Vaud pretend? A measure of revenue, it certainly is; an indication of an economic climate, it might be. Its analysis is limited by the handling of serial data and the need for additional sources, all of which can help to make out and define – at least in terms of hypotheses – the agricultural context of the time, its production and its productivity. Could the decimal sudoku have a solution for Vaud? Could it even be applied elsewhere?
Séries chronologiques
Sources
The publication of the sources and of the bibliography respects the formal characteristics of any scientific study. As a less traditional bonus, a referential index of all the tithe rights offers many new archival paths, the exploration of which remains open to future historians.