Medieval Frontiers: Concepts and Practices

Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Medieval Frontiers: Concepts and Practices by David Abulafia, Nora Berend, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: David Abulafia, Nora Berend ISBN: 9781351918589
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: David Abulafia, Nora Berend
ISBN: 9781351918589
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

In recent years, the 'medieval frontier' has been the subject of extensive research. But the term has been understood in many different ways: political boundaries; fuzzy lines across which trade, religions and ideas cross; attitudes to other peoples and their customs. This book draws attention to the differences between the medieval and modern understanding of frontiers, questioning the traditional use of the concepts of 'frontier' and 'frontier society'. It contributes to the understanding of physical boundaries as well as metaphorical and ideological frontiers, thus providing a background to present-day issues of political and cultural delimitation. In a major introduction, David Abulafia analyses these various ambiguous meanings of the term 'frontier', in political, cultural and religious settings. The articles that follow span Europe from the Baltic to Iberia, from the Canary Islands to central Europe, Byzantium and the Crusader states. The authors ask what was perceived as a frontier during the Middle Ages? What was not seen as a frontier, despite the usage in modern scholarship? The articles focus on a number of themes to elucidate these two main questions. One is medieval ideology. This includes the analysis of medieval formulations of what frontiers should be and how rulers had a duty to defend and/or extend the frontiers; how frontiers were defined (often in a different way in rhetorical-ideological formulations than in practice); and how in certain areas frontier ideologies were created. The other main topic is the emergence of frontiers, how medieval people created frontiers to delimit areas, how they understood and described frontiers. The third theme is that of encounters, and a questioning of medieval attitudes to such encounters. To what extent did medieval observers see a frontier between themselves and other groups, and how does real interaction compare with ideological or narrative formulations of such interaction?

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In recent years, the 'medieval frontier' has been the subject of extensive research. But the term has been understood in many different ways: political boundaries; fuzzy lines across which trade, religions and ideas cross; attitudes to other peoples and their customs. This book draws attention to the differences between the medieval and modern understanding of frontiers, questioning the traditional use of the concepts of 'frontier' and 'frontier society'. It contributes to the understanding of physical boundaries as well as metaphorical and ideological frontiers, thus providing a background to present-day issues of political and cultural delimitation. In a major introduction, David Abulafia analyses these various ambiguous meanings of the term 'frontier', in political, cultural and religious settings. The articles that follow span Europe from the Baltic to Iberia, from the Canary Islands to central Europe, Byzantium and the Crusader states. The authors ask what was perceived as a frontier during the Middle Ages? What was not seen as a frontier, despite the usage in modern scholarship? The articles focus on a number of themes to elucidate these two main questions. One is medieval ideology. This includes the analysis of medieval formulations of what frontiers should be and how rulers had a duty to defend and/or extend the frontiers; how frontiers were defined (often in a different way in rhetorical-ideological formulations than in practice); and how in certain areas frontier ideologies were created. The other main topic is the emergence of frontiers, how medieval people created frontiers to delimit areas, how they understood and described frontiers. The third theme is that of encounters, and a questioning of medieval attitudes to such encounters. To what extent did medieval observers see a frontier between themselves and other groups, and how does real interaction compare with ideological or narrative formulations of such interaction?

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Financing California Real Estate by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book Worlds in Common? by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book The Last Male Bastion by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book Reframing Europe's Future by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book The Literary Quest for an American National Character by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book The Foreign Language Educator in Society by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book Effective Change in Schools by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book The Anti-Group by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book Meeting the Needs of Your Most Able Pupils: MFL by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book The Professions in Early Modern England, 1450-1800 by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book Critique of Violence by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book The Educated Woman by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book Integrative Solutions by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book Reginald McKenna by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
Cover of the book Basics of the Video Production Diary by David Abulafia, Nora Berend
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy