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Cradle of northern Europe's later urban and industrial pre-eminence, medieval Flanders was a region of immense political and economic importance -- and already, as so often later, the battleground of foreign powers. Yet this book is, remarkably, the first comprehensive modern history of the region. Within the framework of a clear political narrative, it presents a vivid portrait of medieval Flemish life that will be essential reading for the medievalist -- and a boon for the many visitors to Bruges and Ghent eager for a better understanding of what they see.
List of contents
List of genealogical tables and maps. Abbreviations. Preface. Acknowledgements. 1. The Sand that is upon the Seashore. 2. The Economic Development of Early Flanders. 3. The Counts and the Country 918-1071. 4. The Apogee of Flemish Power 1071-1206. 5. The Social and Economic Transformation of Flanders in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries. 6. Economic Growth and Cultural Flowering in the Thirteenth Century. 7. Foreign Trade, Diplomacy and Dependence: The Catastrophe of Medieval Flanders 1206-74. 8. A Half Century of Crisis 1274-1317
9. A Delicate Balance: The End of Dampierre Flanders 1317-84. 10. Economci Depression and the World Economy in Flanders 1315-84. 11. A Change of Direction: Flanders in the Burgundian State 1384-1467. 12. The Flemish Economy in the Burgundian Period: Redirection and Retrenchment. 13. A Burgundian Funeral and a Habsburg Epitaph: The End of Medieval Flanders 1467-92. Bibliography. Genealogical tables. Maps. Index.
About the author
David M Nicholas
Summary
This modern history of Flanders examines such areas as the diplomacy of the first Counts of Flanders, the political power of the Flemish cities, the "world market" of Bruges, the labour struggles, the rivalry between language groups and the development of Flemish institutions of government.
