TY - BOOK AU - Walter Letsch PY - 2017 CY - Lausanne, Switzerland PB - Peter Lang Verlag SN - 1660-6043 SN - 9783034329743 TI - Demographic Aspects of the Early Modern Times T2 - The Example of the Zurich Countryside in a European Perspective DO - 10.3726/b11232 UR - https://www.peterlang.com/document/1055663 N2 - The study deals predominantly with basic questions of Historical Demography that have so far not yet been tackled, as no adequate sources seemed to exist, or the effort for digging into these problems seemed outrageous. Many major gaps are filled in this study, based on two types of sources: 14 census-like nominal population listings for 126 parishes of the Zurich countryside, complemented by 52 parishes of adjacent areas, and four reconstituted communities with very early parish books. This allowed coming up with detailed population structures by year of age, sex and marital status for the year 1634, with regional variations. Full, detailed mortality tables by sex and for all ages could be calculated for the period 1634–37, by far the earliest mortality tables worldwide. Mortality during plague epidemics was analysed in detail, too, resulting in the first and only plague mortality table. Model life tables are presented as well, showing a pattern that differs strongly from what has been assumed so far. New insights could also be gained about premarital sex and the importance of remarriages. KW - Population structures, age pyramids, mortality, mortality tables, marriages, premarital sex, fertility, population crises, plagues, plagie mortality LA - English ER -