Political Thought in Europe, 1250-1450

by Antony Black

Overview

The period c.1250-1450 ("the later Middle Ages") was seminal for the values of the modern world. State sovereignty, the separation of church and state, representation, the popular origin of government, and property rights are just a few of the ideas formulated during this time. Political Thought in Europe provides a lucid and accessible introduction to the period in the round, covering both major thinkers such as Aquinas, Marsiglio, Ockham, Wyclif and Cusa, and prevalent notions of church and state, empire and local sovereignty, civic and communal self-government, kingship, "the people", parliament, the law and experts ("the wise"). This is the first overall account to use recent advances in the methodology of the history of ideas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521384513
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/20/1992
Series:	Cambridge Medieval Textbooks
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.79(w) x 8.82(h) x 0.79(d)

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The political community; 2. Church and state; 3. Empire and nation; 4. City-states and civic government; 5. Kingship, law and counsel; 6. Parliamentary representation; 7. The state; Select bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Not only does Political Thought in Europe, 1250-1450 fill an important gap, but it does so with grace, clarity and vision." Cary J. Nederman, The Review of Politics

"The two salient qualities of Political Thought in Europe, 1250-1450 are, first, that it is the product of rethinking, as opposed to being one more restatement of received knowledge, and, second, that it is free of any pet interpretations. Antony Black has no place for ascending and descending theories of authority, as a way of categorizing different concepts of sovereignty, or for Aristotle's political doctrines as the basis of the medieval political outlook. Indeed, he recognizes that there was no single medieval outlook. He also rightly rejects such outdated stereotypes as the corporate character of medieval society." Gordon Leff, Times Literary Supplement

From the Publisher