The Northern Lands

The Northern Lands Synopsis

The Northern Lands

Northern Europe in the late Middle Ages was in many ways distinct from the areas bordering the Mediterranean that were more directly influenced by vestiges of the Roman Empire. The northern lands developed a separate regional identity with broadly common cultural, political, economic, and social features. Scholars, however, have tended to ignore elements of this regional identity that survived beyond 1200.

The Northern Lands: Germanic Europe, c.1270-c.1500 explores the region bordering the North and Baltic Seas, an area which remained more culturally and economically integrated during the late Middle Ages than scholars have generally perceived. The first part of the book provides the reader with context, with broad overviews of England, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, and the Holy Roman Empire during the late medieval period, followed by an analysis of the distinctive features, similarities, and differences of their governing institutions and laws. Further chapters explore themes including rural elites, family law and structures across social orders, urban society and government, and the development of a commercial and financial network.

The Northern Lands will stimulate further debate and advance ongoing research into the unique regional identity that blossomed in northern Europe during the late medieval period.