Description
Book SynopsisThe term ''feudal society'' is a caricature. It was invented by nineteenth-century historians to capture a particular period in French history, that of the retreat of monarchy (and thus of state authority) and the supposed tyranny of fiefdoms. It had its uses. As caricatures go, it was no worse than many others. But it was both reductionist and unbalanced. Among other things, it reduced society to bonds of dependency that were ritualized and personalized, and it imagined a scenario of quasi-independent castles, each with its own knights, existing in a state of continuous warfare with one another. It largely ignored other links and networks, and it overlooked the fact that warfare between neighbors was intermittent and limited. Meanwhile, in the real world, apart from such conflict-though sometimes through it-social construction was going on.Dominique BarthélemyIn a collection of combative essays, updated for this new translation, Dominique Barthélemy presents a sharply revisionist a
Trade Review
Dominique Barthélemy's willingness to challenge received opinion marks an important contribution which all those interested in medieval France at a critical period will find stimulating.
* Times Literary Supplement *
