Kootwijk in the Middle Ages

In the center of the Veluwe Region of the Netherlands, on a sandy upland north of the Rhine River, lies the early medieval settlement of Kootwijk. Although Kootwijk was first occupied beginning in the Mesolithic period, it is a typical settlement for the 6th through 11th centuries AD, and a perfect opportunity for a glimpse into the Dutch Middle Ages.

The earliest medieval occupation of Kootwijk was a small hamlet, comprised of a few fenced-in farmsteads. Each farmstead held a main building and numerous outbuildings. Later in the 7th century, a single elite farmstead was built, consisting of a characteristic boat-shaped residence. This structure, measuring approximately 25 meters (75 feet) in length by 8 meters (25 feet) in width, and with slightly constricted ends, was organized with an interior fireplace and a cow shed at one end. Such boat-shaped residences were common for the next several generations of people living at Kootwijk, and archaeological evidence of similar structures can be found throughout northwestern Europe beginning in the 7th century AD.

During the 8th century AD, the small hamlet and the single farmstead disappeared, to be replaced by a growing settlement of farmsteads, all with boat-shaped residences and organized along a roadway. From this settlement grew a village, finally consisting in the 9th century of 54 boat-shaped houses, 30 barns, 90 granaries, 190 sunken huts, 55 wells, and a collection of other buildings.

The main occupation of the Kootwijk villagers was farming; they had small intensive garden plots close to the village, and fields of rye, oats, barley, and flax outside. Livestock included cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and pigs. It is possible that this village was part of the Frankish Empire, and so owned and maintained by an absentee landlord; but there is no documentary evidence for this. Much of the pottery from the 9th century was imported from as far away as Germany, which may support some kind of interaction with the trading centers along the Rhine River.

While the residents of Kootwijk lived their lives, vast political changes were occurring throughout Europe. After the 8th century Frankish invasion, came that of Charlemagne, who conquered all of what is now the Netherlands by 800 AD; and by 925 AD, the Netherlands were part of the Holy Roman Empire. During this time Viking raids made incursions into the Low Countries; evidence for these political changes and events was not found at Kootwijk. By 1000 AD, however, the people of Kootwijk migrated away, leaving the sand to cover the remnants.

The main source for this article was Medieval Archaeology: An Encyclopedia, edited by Pam Crabtree and published by Garland Publishing in 2001.