Bernd Fuhrmann's comprehensive presentation systematically connects economic and social history with environmental history for the first time, a topic that is more relevant today than ever. The impacts on the economy and societal development are of great significance. Even the influence of climate on grain harvests and grape harvests affected the food situation of large parts of the population. The decline of forests near settlements was also reflected in corresponding rainfall patterns. The burdens from mining were known by at least the 15th century. Developments in the agricultural sector, trade, crafts, urbanization, and social structures are addressed in the chronologically structured main chapters, making them comparable for the early, high, and late Middle Ages. The temporal scope ranges from the 7th/8th century to the 17th century, with a focus on the late Middle Ages.