Protoindustrializace a možnosti studia populačního vývoje v oblasti severovýchodních Čech

This study focuses upon current research of the issue of protoindustrialization, especially in the Central European space, with an emphasis on the development in the Czech Lands. It does not merely refl ect the original concepts of American historians from the end of the 1960s and the 1970s and consequent discussions in the 1980s, yet also the current trends in the study of the given topic. In particular, attention is paid to population aspects, which are the most discussed areas of the theory of protoindustrialization. This contribution deals with the specifi cs of the demographic regime in the region of Northeastern Bohemia in the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century, alongside the possibilities and opportunities for research into the given topic utilising the method of family reconstructions. Research is centred on the locality of Stružinec near Lomnice nad Popelkou, the results of which are compared with the output of the reconstruction of families relevant for Rokytnice nad Jizerou and Jablonec nad Nisou. Th e aim of this work is to outline specific markers with reference to marriage rates and female fertility in the given localities; an assessment of current approaches and a proposal for further possible approaches to the research of this topic in our environment.