THE ‘FEUDAL REVOLUTION’ AND THE ORIGINS OF ITALIAN CITY COMMUNES
Chris Wickham
ABSTRACT This article takes two major moments of social change in central medieval Europe, the ‘feudal revolution’ France and origins Italian city communes, order to see what they have common. They are superficially very different, one rural urban, also whose analysts focus on breakdown political power other its construction or reconstruction; but there close parallels between changes which took place around 1000 1050 those Italy 1100. The contrast dates does not matter; matters is that each case larger-scale (whether at level kingdom county) was matched by local recomposition, intensification crystallisation structures had been much more ad hoc before, would be basic template for henceforth. In Italy, main article, different experiences Pisa Genoa compared, development urban assemblies first, consular collectives second, communal institutions third, all analysed from this perspective, as guides how communes peninsula developed, however haltingly insecurely. finishes with a brief comment sociology Pierre Bourdieu.
Transactions of the Royal Historical Society|Oxford University Research Archive (ORA) (University of Oxford)