TyrannyOfAConstructPart1
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.
In this video and the next, we will tackle myths and misconceptions regarding Feudalism and its associated institutions, including serfdom, peasant exploitation, social mobility, and more.
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
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/TqGXv_rSXIk
Ko-fi Page
https://ko-fi.com/viatorinterra
Status of other series
The Great Famine: On hiatus.
Upcoming Videos
Body Politic:
- The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and its Discontents (second part + compilation video)
- 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.
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Footage Credits:
Videezy.com
Harry Mateman
Flying Mementos
Associazione Turistica Pro Loco Certaldo
WorldtuberTV
hrfernsehen
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: Warband, Medieval Conquests Mod, The World of Ice and Fire 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
Transaction
Created
1 year ago
Content Type
Language
video/mp4
English