The Historical Significance of Salt in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Age of Invention: The Second Soul, Part I 🔗

Here’s a riddle. There was a product in the seventeenth century that was universally considered a necessity as important as grain and fuel. Controlling the source of this product was one of the first priorities for many a military campaign, and sometimes even a motivation for starting a war. Improvements to the preparation and uses of this product would have increased population size and would have had a general and noticeable impact on people’s living standards. And this product underwent dramatic changes in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, becoming an obsession for many inventors and industrialists, while seemingly not featuring in many estimates of historical economic output or growth at all.

The text "Age of Invention: The Second Soul, Part I" explores the historical significance of salt in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, shedding light on its importance in agriculture, food preservation, and state control. It highlights the impact of salt on people's living standards, agriculture, and state revenues, using examples from various countries such as England, France, Spain, and Italy. The article also discusses the geographical and social factors that influenced the taxation and control of salt, showing how salt became a crucial factor in defining the contours of many early modern states.

Salt was universally considered a necessity as important as grain and fuel in the seventeenth century
Salt had a significant impact on agriculture, food preservation, and state revenues
The control and taxation of salt had a profound effect on the economies and societies of various countries
Geographical and social factors played a crucial role in the taxation and control of salt