Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie

Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie importance in the Annale school can be best described as influential. He believed that for a period of time from the 14th century until 1720, history "stood still" and was at an equilibrium. He focused his studies not on the kings and queens but the peasants and the fields they worked in. His main interest was peasants and history based on how peasants interacted with the environment. His major work Paysans is one of the most important pieces of historical writings in history. Paysans dealt with the peasantry in southern France. Later in career, he wrote about weather and a historical history of weather in France. My question is peasants have always been a part of history, was Ladurie the first to give them their due or was he influenced by someone else besides the Annale school?