Des paysans contre la mer. Poldérisation et drainages des terres humides sur le littoral de la baie du Mont Saint-Michel au Moyen Âge (xie-xve siècles)

Between the 12th and 15th centuries, significant portions of the Mont Saint-Michel Bay's southeastern and eastern coastlines were reclaimed from the sea through poldérisation—a process involving land isolation and drainage—transforming previously submerged areas into arable farmland. This transformation, supported by feudal authorities including the Dol-Combourg lords and nearby abbeys, enabled the establishment of agricultural parishes like Paluel, west of the Couesnon River. However, long-term environmental changes such as rising sediment levels in the bay and river course shifts, combined with demographic decline, led to the abandonment and eventual return of these lands to their maritime state by the 15th century, predating major 19th-century engineering interventions. The study reconstructs this historical process using modern cartographic data and medieval sources, offering a rare glimpse into medieval land-use strategies in coastal environments.

Casset, M. (2011). Des paysans contre la mer. Poldérisation et drainages des terres humides sur le littoral de la baie du Mont Saint-Michel au Moyen Âge (xie-xve siècles). Annales de Normandie, 61e année(1), 75–106. https://doi.org/10.3917/annor.611.0075