Ginsburg in The Cheese and the Worms, while a century after your question and a nation over, makes a pretty strong case for a relatively educated and intellectually lively European peasantry. The book examines the life of a miller named Menocchio in 16th century northern Italy (part of Venice) who was picked up by the inquisition and tried for heresy. He had read at least a dozen or so books, was aware of "Turks" (Muslims), the Pope, and thought fairly abstractly about religious faith and metaphysics. Ginzburg's thesis is that Menocchio, while a pretty exceptional example of an educated peasant, was probably tapping into a rich European peasant popular culture. This might be a bit overstated, but it's interesting and entertaining none-the-less. Source: Carlo Ginzburg The Cheese http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0801843871?pc_redir=1400612003&robot_redir=1and the Worms http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0801843871?pc_redir=1400612003&robot_redir=1

Edit: would love to write more, but on mobile and must go