It is difficult to generalize about the European economy in the sixteenth century. Conditions varied considerably from one area to another; and, although there were forces that were everywhere at work, their intensity and their impact differed as they affected different regions. Similarly, there were temporal variations; conditions changed with the passage of time, and the timetable varied from one area to another.
Keeping these facts in mind, we may make some general statements. The sixteenth century was on the whole a time of economic expansion for Europe. The depressed conditions that had prevailed from the middle of the fourteenth century were giving way, and the growth before 1350 was being resumed. One sign of this expansion, as well as a cause of it, was a growth in population. By the sixteenth century, the ravages of the Black Death and its recurrences were being made up, and the overall population of Europe had reached its 1350 level and was increasing beyond that point.
The general statement that the sixteenth century was a period of economic expansion needs to be qualified by the recognition that not all areas witnessed the same degree of growth; in some, indeed, the overall picture is one of recession. The economy of Europe was becoming truly European. What happened in one country affected others, and wise businessmen kept abreast not only of economic activities and problems in the various parts of Europe but also of the numerous other factors that might affect their businesses. These factors included the political, diplomatic, and military situations; dynastic arrangements, including such matters as marriages among ruling families; and, as the split in the church became deeper, religious matters.
