Medieval Germany, 500-1300 is an interpretation of the foundation of Germany based upon the three most outstanding characteristics of the medieval polity: its division into several distinct peoples with their own customs, dialects, and economic interests from whom the later 'Germans' would be drawn; the imperial ambitions to which the successive German dynasties aspired; and the structure of German kingship, which was a military, religious, and juridical exercise of authority rather than a meticulous administration based upon scribal institutions.
Arnold's interpretation of the foundation of Germany is based on the division of the medieval polity into several distinct peoples, the imperial ambitions of the ruling dynasties, and the structure of German kingship.
In 'Power and Property in Medieval Germany', Professor Arnold looks at the problems posed by power and property in a medieval society, in this case the German kingdom. He explains the ongoing social and economic relationships between classes and institutions, peasants and lords, the royal court, towns and townsfolk, and the Church and aristocracy.
This A-Z encyclopedia covers the Middle Ages in Germany. It offers the most recent scholarship available, while also providing details on the daily life of medieval Germans.
Beginning in 500 with the fusion of classical, Christian, and Germanic cultures and ending in 1300 with a Europe united by a desire for growth, knowledge, and change, this volume provides basic information on the significant cultural figures of the Middle Ages. It includes over 400 people whose contributions in literature, religion, philosophy, education, or politics influenced the development and culture of the Medieval world. While focusing on Western European figures, the book does not neglect those from Byzantium, Baghdad, and the Arab world who also contributed to the politics, religion, and culture of Western Europe. Europe underwent fundamental changes during the Middle Ages. It changed from a preliterate to a literate society. Cities became a vital part of the economy, culture, and social structure. The poor and serfs went to the cities. The devout joined monastic orders. Christianity spread throughout Europe, while a man was born in Mecca who would change the shape of the religious map. Islam spread throughout the Holy Land. Christian piety led to the Crusades. This book provides a convenient guide to those who helped shape these movements and counter-movements during this era that would pave the way for the Renaissance.
Germany was the most powerful kingdom in the medieval West from the mid-tenth to the mid-thirteenth century. However, its history remains largely unknown outside of the German-speaking regions of modern Europe. Until recently, almost all of the sources for medieval Germany were available only in the original Latin or in German translations, while most scholarly investigation has been in German. The limited English-language scholarship has focused on royal politics and the aristocracy. Even today, English-speaking students will find very little about the lower social orders, or Germany’s urban centers that came to play an increasingly important role in the social, economic, political, religious, and military life of the German kingdom after the turn of the millennium. The translation of the four texts in this volume is intended to help fill these lacunae. They focus on the city of Worms in the period c.1000 to c.1300. From them readers can follow developments in this city over a period of almost three centuries from the perspective of writers who lived there, gaining insights about the lives of both rich and poor, Christian and Jew. No other city in Germany provides a similar opportunity for comparison of changes over time. As important, Worms was an ’early adopter’ of new political, economic, institutional, and military traditions, which would later become normative for cities throughout the German kingdom. Worms was one of the first cities to develop as a center of episcopal power; it was also one of the first to develop an independent urban government, and was precocious in emerging as a de facto city-state in the mid-thirteenth century. These political developments, with their concomitant social, economic, and military consequences, would define urban life throughout the German kingdom. In sum, the history of Worms as told in the narrative sources in this volume can be understood as illuminating the broader urban history of the German kingdom at the heigh
Winner of the 2020 Verbruggen prize This book offers an an overview of the current state of research and a basic route map for navigating an abundant historiography available in 10 different languages. The book is also an invitation to comparison between various parts of the region over the same period.
The history of medieval Germany is still rarely studied in the English-speaking world. This collection of essays by distinguished German historians examines one of most important themes of German medieval history, the development of the local principalities. These became the dominant governmental institutions of the late medieval Reich, whose nominal monarchs needed to work with the princes if they were to possess any effective authority. Previous scholarship in English has tended to look at medieval Germany primarily in terms of the struggles and eventual decline of monarchical authority during the Salian and Staufen eras – in other words, at the "failure" of a centralised monarchy. Today, the federalised nature of late medieval and early modern Germany seems a more natural and understandable phenomenon than it did during previous eras when state-building appeared to be the natural and inevitable process of historical development, and any deviation from the path towards a centralised state seemed to be an aberration. In addition, by looking at the origins and consolidation of the principalities, the book also brings an English audience into contact with the modern German tradition of regional history (Landesgeschichte). These path-breaking essays open a vista into the richness and complexity of German medieval history.
First published in 2001, Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia provides a comprehensive guide to the German and Dutch-speaking world in the Middle Ages, from approximately C.E. 500 to 1500. It offers detailed accounts of a wide variety of aspects of medieval Germany, including language, literature, architecture, politics, warfare, medicine, philosophy and religion. In addition, this reference work includes bibliographies and citations to aid further study. This A-Z encyclopedia, featuring over 500 entries written by expert contributors, will be of key interest to students and scholars, as well as general readers.
