The communal age in Western Europe, c.1100-1800 : towns, villages and parishes in pre-modern society / Beat Kümin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kümin, Beat A.

Series:

Studies in European history (Basingstoke, England)

Studies in European history series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Communities--Europe, Western--History.

Communities.

Cities and towns--Europe, Western--History.

Cities and towns.

Villages--Europe, Western--History.

Villages.

Parishes--Europe, Western--History.

Parishes.

History.

Western Europe.

Physical Description:

x, 154 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

Summary:

The Communal Age in Western Europe, c. 1100-1800 offers a fresh interpretation of the significance of towns, villages and parishes in the medieval and early modern period. Drawing on a wide range of primary and secondary sources from numerous regions, Beat Kümin: explains how local communities empowered common people through collective agency and a degree of local autonomy, demonstrates how communal units impacted on key historical developments, from the Reformation to state formation, provides case studies of the Italian city, the English parish and the village in the Holy Roman Empire, surveys communal origins, constitutions and cultural representations, as well as contested issues such as gender roles and inner tensions, evaluates related historiographical debates on communalism and republicanism. Informed by a genuinely comparative and integrated approach, this original volume offers an excellent introduction to European history 'from below', and to the fundamental building blocks of European society. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Case studies

1 The Italian City 11

Urban society and the birth of the commune 12

Proliferation and perceptions of communes 16

Power and participation 18

City culture 20

Renaissance and early modern developments 22

Summary 23

2 The Village in the Holy Roman Empire 25

Origins and early evolution 25

Village culture 28

Political life 31

Relations with princes, lords and emperors in the early modern period 35

Summary 38

3 The English Parish 40

Emergence and consolidation of the parochial system 40

Parish government and parish records 42

Parish life and parish culture 44

Reformation and early modern developments 47

Summary 51

Part II Local Communities in Comparative Perspective

4 Communal Cultures 55

Community formation 55

Membership 57

Communal bonds 58

Inner tensions 60

Resources and revenues 66

Communal values 67

Political life in local communities 71

Communication and representation 73

Summary 76

5 Interactions 78

Local and regional landscapes 78

Local communities and their lords 84

Relations with central authorities 89

Summary 92

Part III Assessment

6 Perceptions and Debates 97

Communal self-perceptions 97

Communal culture and pre-modem thought 104

Current approaches and debates 107

Summary 116

7 Conclusions 118.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0230536859

9780230536852

OCLC:

841672010

Publisher Number:

99954166122