The Medieval German State in Recent Historiography
Jonathan R. Lyon
In a 1997 article surveying scholarship on the medieval state, Susan Reynolds observes, Nowadays historians quite often find origin of modern European state or nation-state in thirteenth-century ‘national monarchies’, which France and England are their paradigmatic cases. Some see no problem using word even earlier, though they do not always make clear meaning attach to it. Others remain reluctant talk states until after middle ages, when forms began be used its sense, ground that use inevitably implies ideology, constitution, technology so on, associated with state.1 As makes this passage, have never been able reach consensus how employ term ‘state’ descriptions analyses political structures ages. Among scholars German-speaking lands, debates about premodern period especially thorny because Germany did develop into unified nineteenth century. The argument German kingdom was different from neighbours followed Sonderweg development has therefore affected historians’ approaches for generations.2 Indeed, leaving aside issue applicability ‘state’, vexed is question what label entity during ages many prefer Latin regnum Teutonicum rather than an English equivalent, such as Deutschland, carries it too anachronistic misleading connotations.3
German History