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German boys in the medieval era mostly worked on fedual estates. Very few boys received a formal education. As in the rest of Europe, some boys worked as aprentices under the guilds which became an major institution in economic and social life. We do not yet have information specifically on German apprentices, although some information is available on guild appretices in general. After the decline of the guilds, boys continued to work as aprentices, although the arrangments were less regulated. Other boys were sold into indentured servitude. With the advent of the industrial revolution, many German boys as elsewhere in Europe worked in the factories that appeared in the growing cities. Their maegre earnings were often required to support the family. The conditions were described by Dickens and other English authors. Presumanly German authors also addressed the topic of child labor and urban slum life, but I am not familiar with the German literature. One institution that seems uniquely German is the Schwabenkinder. This began before the industrial revolution, but continued into the 20th century.
German boys in the medieval era mostly worked on fedual estates. Very few boys received a formal education. The feudal system did not end in all of Germany in the 17th and 18th century as was the case as some other Wesern European countries. It should be remembered that until the 1870, Germany was divided into many different separate states. These states were highly varied, both in economic and social terms. In the early 19th century some were entering the industrial revolution. Others like Prussia still had areas even in the early 19th century with large landed estates that were still essential feudal, over seen by a military caste--the Junkers. It was that caste led by Prussian King Wilhelm and a Prussian Junker, Otto von Bismarck, that eventually succeeded in unifying Germany and impressing Prussian values on the German Empire.
As in the rest of Europe, some boys worked as aprentices under the guilds which became an major institution in economic and social life. We do not yet have information specifically on German apprentices, although some information is available on guild appretices in general.
After the decline of the guilds, boys continued to work as aprentices, although the arrangments were less regulated.
German boys were sold into indentured servitude.
With the advent of the industrial revolution, many German boys as elsewhere in Europe worked in the factories that appeared in the growing cities. Their maegre earnings were often required to support the family. The conditions were described by Dickens and other English authors. Presumanly German authors also addressed the topic of child labor and urban slum life, but I am not familiar with the German literature. I am not sure yet when child labor laws were passed in Germany.
One institution that seems uniquely German is the Schwabenkinder. The term Schwabenkinder means literally "Swabian children". This practice began before the industrial revolution, but continued into the 20th century. There were markets at Wangen, Ravensburg, Bad Waldsee, Tettnang, and Friedrichshafen in Württemberg, in Baden in Pfullendorf and Überlingen and in Bavarian Allgäu in Kempten. The biggest was in Ravensburg. Sometimes up to 5,000-6,000 children would go under direction of a preacher over the Alps, to work at farming houses from spring to autumn as shepherds boys or cowboys or when being a girl as housemaid. They did get some money and were clothed new, because they came there mostly only in rags. It was mostly poverty that forced their family to do this. They were from 7-14 years old, but sometimes children even as young as 5 year olds were sent. They are first mentioned in 1626 and continued until 1921 in some cases even until the 5oies. In 1836 Württembergian new regulations required children had to attend school, therefore the German Schwabenkinder had to be replaced with foreign children.
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