Assembly Politics and the “Rules-of-the-Game” (ca. 650–1150)
Leidulf Melve
Research into conflict solution has loomed large over the last three decades. Initially forged as a criticism of positivistic legal-historical approach, notion that medieval society—in some fundamental ways—is structured by number “rules-of-the-game” almost become truism. This article presents an attempt to get behind scene assembly politics: discussions preparing for demonstration agreement—in Gerd Althoff’s terms, colloquium secretum and publicum. It is argued assemblies were hardly controlled rigid often been assumed; consequently, there was room maneuvering, first foremost putting forth arguments disrupted “staging” assembly. Moreover, period in question here, ca. 650–1150, displays subtle changes with regard relationship between form symbolic agreement use argument; result growth literacy, argument dialogue gain ground, twelfth century especially.
Viator