Louis Henry's family reconstitution method extracts demographic information from which primary source?
ANational census records, which began in most European countries in the 16th century
BParish registers recording baptisms (births), marriages, and burials (deaths), linked across events to reconstruct individual and family demographic histories
CTax records that listed household members for fiscal purposes
DGenealogical records maintained by aristocratic families
Henry developed the family reconstitution method using parish registers — the continuous records of baptisms, marriages, and burials maintained by churches across Europe from the 16th century onward (earlier in some cases). By linking a woman's marriage record to the baptism records of her children and her eventual burial record, the method reconstructs her complete fertility history: age at marriage, birth intervals, completed family size, and age at death. The method revealed that pre-modern fertility was 'natural' (not parity-specific) but varied substantially across populations.
Question 2 True / False
Historical demography has shown that pre-modern Europeans had unregulated fertility — women simply had as many children as biologically possible.
TTrue
FFalse
Answer: False
Pre-modern European fertility was well below the biological maximum, regulated by social mechanisms even in the absence of modern contraception. The Hajnal European marriage pattern (late marriage, substantial permanent celibacy) was the most powerful regulator — delaying marriage to the mid-to-late twenties reduced the reproductive span by 5-10 years. Prolonged breastfeeding extended birth intervals. In some populations, seasonal patterns of conception suggest deliberate abstinence during certain periods. While fertility was 'natural' in Henry's technical sense (not varying by parity), it was not 'maximum' — social institutions kept it well below biological potential.
Question 3 Short Answer
Explain why a life expectancy at birth of 35 years in a pre-modern population does not mean that most adults died around age 35.
Think about your answer, then reveal below.
Model answer: Life expectancy at birth is an average that includes all deaths, including infant and child deaths. In pre-modern populations, 25-50% of children died before age 5. These early deaths heavily weight the average downward. A person who survived to age 20 in such a population might have a remaining life expectancy of 35-45 additional years, living into their 50s, 60s, or 70s. The distribution of death is bimodal — a peak in infancy/childhood and another in old age — making the mean (life expectancy at birth) a misleading summary of the typical adult lifespan.
This is one of the most common misunderstandings about historical populations, and correcting it is essential for interpreting pre-modern societies. Medieval and early modern sources describe political leaders, scholars, and merchants active into their 60s and 70s — not because they were exceptional but because surviving childhood was the main hurdle. The life table concept of conditional life expectancy (ex at age 20 or 30) is far more informative about adult lifespan than e0.