The Cambridge History of Medieval Political Thought c.350–c.1450

This volume examines the history of a complex and varied body of ideas over a period of more than a thousand years.

J. H. Burns (Edited by)

9780521423885, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 17 October 1991

818 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 4.6 cm, 1.18 kg

"...the book successfully brings together a rich and varied synthesis of current scholarship on medieval political ideas. It furnishes a benchmark by which subsequent work on these topics will inevitably be measured." James A. Brundage, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences.

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.

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.

Subject Areas: History of ideas [JFCX]