During the Viking Age and Early Middle Ages (c. 9th-13th centuries), outland-using peasants in the hilly and forested areas of inner Scandinavia were making a good living by producing commodities for sale in external markets. Some were using the outland intensively, relying on commodity production. Others used the outland extensively in diverse ways and balanced with agrarian activities. Trade networks broke down in the 13th century, and intensive outland-using peasants had to restructure their economy, placing greater emphasis on cereal cultivation and cattle breeding. The extensive outland-using peasants did not restructure their economy in the same way. The Late Medieval Agrarian Crisis with the Black Death brought death and the desertion of farmsteads. However, permanent desertion of settlements was not noticeable in intensive outland-using communities, whereas there are far more deserted settlements in extensive outland-using communities. These communities were less resilient than the intensive outland-using communities, who had built new capacities when restructuring the economy. Many of the deserted settlements appear to have come under the ownership of the vicarages, the only agents of feudalism in the investigated areas. Crisis feudalism appears to have been an important factor in permanent desertion after the Late Medieval Agrarian Crisis.