Standard of Living
Realm 82: The Golden Scales, Famine's Shadow, and the New Harvest
WORLD L — MEDIEVAL SOCIETY
MICRO-REALM 01
Extreme Disparity
- Vast wealth concentrated at top.
- Top 1% controlled 15% of revenue.
- Conspicuous consumption vs survival.
- Chasm defined the medieval era.
MICRO-REALM 02
The Amirs (Nobility)
- Fabulous salaries (highest in world).
- Maintained massive retinues/harems.
- Imported luxury goods globally.
- Little incentive to save/invest.
MICRO-REALM 03
The Peasantry
- Lived on bare subsistence.
- Revenue demand: 1/3 to 1/2 of crop.
- Vulnerable to slight weather changes.
- Frequent debt to village moneylender.
MICRO-REALM 04
Diet of the Masses
- Khichdi (rice/millet & lentils).
- Ghee and oil were luxury items.
- Meat extremely rare for poor.
- Only one main meal a day.
MICRO-REALM 05
Elite Banquets
- Elaborate Persian-style pilafs.
- Fruits imported from Central Asia.
- Ice brought from Himalayas by boat.
- Dining was a grand spectacle.
MICRO-REALM 06
Clothing & Textiles
- Elites: Silk, brocades, fine muslin.
- Peasants: Single coarse cotton cloth (Langoti).
- Shoes rarely worn by rural masses.
- Winter clothing severely lacking.
MICRO-REALM 07
Housing
- Havelis of stone/brick for rich.
- Mud walls & thatched roofs for poor.
- Furniture non-existent in villages.
- Slept on string-cots (charpai) or floor.
MICRO-REALM 08
Famines & Epidemics
- Gujarat Famine (1630-32) catastrophic.
- Millions died, cannibalism reported.
- Cholera and plague outbreaks common.
- Wiped out entire artisan communities.
MICRO-REALM 09
State Relief
- Langars (free kitchens) opened.
- Revenue remitted during droughts.
- Taqavi (agricultural loans) distributed.
- Often inadequate against massive scale.
MICRO-REALM 10
New World Crops
- Brought by Portuguese (16th C).
- Tobacco rapidly became popular cash crop.
- Maize (corn), Potato, Tomato introduced.
- Slowly altered the rural diet.