Description
In Power and Property in Medieval Germany Professor Arnold takes a fresh look at the problems posed by power and property in a medieval society, in this case the German kingdom. In a series of interrelated studies covering the period 700-1500, but concentrating on the tenth to thirteenth centuries, Arnold explores the social and economic changes that influenced the real lives of people living in Germany. A number of themes are examined, including the kind of society that emerged along the Rhine and to the east of it in a period when it is hard to identify a Germany; the complex relationship between peasant and lord; the finances and resources of the German crown, the largest single landowner; the social and economic impact of the urban milieu with its towns large and small; and the entanglement of Church and aristocracy. Whilst medieval people did not share mercantilist or post-Adam Smith concepts of economic forces at work in society, Arnold fruitfully applies the ideas and rationalizations of modern economics to medieval evidence, leading, at times, to unexpected conclusions. Review: Benjamin Arnold is the leading English-speaking authority on the history of medieval Germany. Ecclesiastical History ...the reader will find useful nuggets on every page. History ...most interesting and valuable for the numerous micro-studies of very specific subjects lodged throughout its individual chapters. Early Medieval Europe 2006
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