Popular notions of medieval society and institutions often combine anachronistic concepts and ideas. We see 15th-17th century aesthetics, 16th-17th century institutions, and 19th century projections onto 500 years before. Many myths, like those of cumbersome armor, dominance of the sword over other weapons, and a hatred of ranged weapons, have already been conclusively been debunked and refuted. However, only a few niche channels have ever discussed Medieval societal organization. In this introduction, we note that Medieval societies were heterogeneous, not just between but even within realms and domains. A king’s power was not absolute, elites and nobility were informal and were neither legally nor formally hereditary, and popular legitimacy formed an important role in succession. Beyond this top-bottom view, societies and communities were largely autonomous, had their own leaders chosen by whatever method, and relied more on their members than governance by a duke, or count, or even by the king. This video compiles the two parts released over the past few months. 0:00 Introduction 3:22 The Tyranny of a Construct 8:42 Two Feudal Connotations 21:53 Vassals, Fiefs, and Feudal Things 26:37 Vassalage and Medieval Social Institutions 35:49 Public and Private Affairs in Medieval Society 40:44 Nobility as an Informal Institution 50:57 Doing Away with Vassalage 57:21 Fiefs and Medieval Property Institutions 1:06:38 Before the Crisis of the 12th Century 1:15:26 Crisis, Bureaucracy, and Lawyers 1:26:57 Summary Script written by: Viator in Terra/DihedralFractal Narrated by: Vexillum Read the script https://viatorinterra.substack.com/p/the-body-politic-medieval-societal YouTube Mirror: https://youtu.be/FiA7uOqEhKo Ko-fi Page: https://ko-fi.com/viatorinterra Merchandise: https://store.streamelements.com/viatorinterra Status of other series The Great Famine: On hiatus. Upcoming Videos Body Politic: - Medieval Statehood: Heteronomy and Sovereignty The Crisis of the Twelfth Century: - The Age of Lordship (875-1150) References Bekar, C. T., & Reed, C. G. (2013). Land markets and inequality: evidence from medieval England. European review of economic history, 17(3), 294-317. Bell, A. R., Brooks, C., & Killick, H. (2019). Medieval property investors, ca. 1300–1500. Enterprise & Society, 20(3), 575-612. Bell, A. R., Brooks, C., & Killick, H. (2019). A reappraisal of the freehold property market in late medieval England. Continuity and Change, 34(3), 287-313. Bell, A. R., Brooks, C., & Killick, H. (2022). The first real estate bubble? Land Prices and Rents in Medieval England c. 1300-1500. Research in International Business and Finance, 101700. Bisson, T. N. (2015). The crisis of the twelfth century. In The Crisis of the Twelfth Century. Princeton University Press. Brown, E. A. (1974). The tyranny of a construct: feudalism and historians of medieval Europe. The American Historical Review, 1063-1088. Cerman, M. (2005, June). Social structure and medieval land markets in east-central Europe. Paper at the conference “The Rise, Organization, and Institutional Framework of Factor Markets” in Utrecht. Crouch, D. (2015). The birth of nobility: constructing aristocracy in England and France, 900-1300. Routledge. Goffart, W. A. (2006). Barbarian tides: the migration age and the later Roman Empire. University of Pennsylvania Press. Munro, J. H. (2004). Before and after the Black Death: money, prices, and wages in fourteenth-century England. Reynolds, S. (1994). Fiefs and vassals: the medieval evidence reinterpreted. Clarendon Press. West, C. (2013). Reframing the feudal revolution: political and social transformation between Marne and Moselle, c. 800–c. 1100 (Vol. 90). Cambridge University Press. ———— Footage Credits: Videezy.com Harry Mateman Flying Mementos Associazione Turistica Pro Loco Certaldo WorldtuberTV hrfernsehen Video provided by [Copyright Free Videos - 4k Video Library] YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3fF5uvt Video Creator: @dubassy on Mixkit Music: Vopna, Borgar, Wintersong, Mjói, and Norður by Alexander Nakarada (www.serpentsoundstudios.com) Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License Assorted tracks from Mount and Blade: Bannerlord, Mount and Blade: Warband, Medieval Conquests Mod, The World of Ice and Fire mod, Perisno mod, Total War: Attila, Total War: Medieval II, Thrones of Britannia: A Total War Saga, and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Title Music is "Ja nuns hons pris" by King Richard the Lionheart