The Cambridge History of Medieval Political Thought c.350–c.1450
This volume, first published in 1988, offers a comprehensive and authoritative account of the history of a complex and varied body of ideas over a period of more than a thousand years. A work of both synthesis and assessment, The Cambridge History of Medieval Political Thought presents the results of several decades of critical scholarship in the field, and reflects in its breadth of enquiry precisely that diversity of focus which characterised the medieval sense of the 'political', preoccupied with universality at some levels, and with almost minute particularity at others. Thus among the vital questions explored by the distinguished team of contributors are the nature of authority, of justice, of property; the problem of legitimacy, of allegiance, of resistance to the powers that be; the character and function of law, and the role of custom in sustaining a social structure. While the predominant emphasis of the volume is necessarily upon those ideas that developed within Latin Christendom, full weight is also given to the impact of Byzantine, Jewish, and Islamic thought, and the whole comprises a unique distillation of knowledge upon a multi-faceted screen.
Product details
May 1988Hardback
9780521243247
818 pages
234 × 152 × 44 mm
1.425kg
Available
Table of Contents
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction J. H. Burns
- Part I. Foundations:
- 1. Christian doctrine Henry Chadwick
- 2. Greek and Roman political theory John Procopé
- 3. Roman law P. G. Stein
- Part II. Byzantium:
- 4. Byzantine political thought D. M. Nicol
- Part III. Beginnings: c.350–c.750:
- 5. Introduction: the West R. A. Markus
- 6. The Latin fathers R. A. Markus
- 7. The barbarian kingdoms P. D. King
- Part IV. Formation: c.750–c.1150:
- 8. Introduction: the formation of political thought in the west D. E. Luscombe
- 9. Government, law and society R. Van Caenegem
- 10. Kingship and empire Janet Nelson
- 11. Church and papacy I. S. Robinson
- 12. The twelfth-century renaissance D. E. Luscombe and G. R. Evans
- Part V. Development: c.1150–c.1450:
- 13. Introduction: politics, institutions and ideas J. P. Canning
- 14. Spiritual and temporal powers J. A. Watt
- 15. Law: I. Law, legislative authority and theories of government, 1150–1300 K. Pennington
- II. Law, sovereignty and corporation theory, 1300–1450 J. P. Canning
- 16. Government Jean Dunbabin
- 17. Community: I. Community, counsel and representation Jeannine Quillet
- II. The conciliar movement Anthony Black
- 18. The individual and society Anthony Black
- 19. Property and poverty Janet Coleman
- Conclusion J. H. Burns
- Biographies
- Bibliography
- Index of names of persons
- Index of subjects.