Peasant and Community in Medieval England, 1200-1500

In recent years, work on the medieval English peasant has tended to stress the degree of interaction between the village and the world beyond its bounds. This book not only provides an overview of this research, but also develops this approach. Phillipp R. Schofield describes the traditional world of the peasant - with attention given to such issues as relations between lord and tenant, and the nature of the peasant family - and places the peasantry of the late middle ages within the wider political, legal, ecclesiastical and commercial world of the medieval community.

Auteur

PHILLIPP R. SCHOFIELD has held research posts in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and is now Lecturer in Medieval History in the Department of History and Welsh History at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He is the author of a number of articles on the medieval English peasantry.

Résumé
In recent years, work on the medieval English peasant has emphasised the degree of interaction between the rural community and the world beyond its bounds. Using a combination of original sources and historical analyses, Peasant and Community in Medieval England, 1200-1500 not only provides a valuable overview of this research, but also develops this approach. Clear and accessible, the study describes the everyday experience of the peasant - including lord-tenant relations, landholding, and the peasant family - in relation to the wider political, legal, spiritual and commercial contexts of the medieval community. Phillipp R. Schofield argues that, far from being narrowly contained, a medieval peasant's existence was very much subject to a range of external forces; what is more, the role of the peasant in shaping the world in which he or she lived was of huge significance.An ideal introduction for those new to this important subject, Schofield's book will also appeal to specialists in the field.

Contenu

Introduction: Peasant and Community PART I: LAND Land: Tenure, Landholding and Rent Determinants of Peasant Landholding The Transfer of Peasant Land PART II: FAMILY Family and Household Peasant Marriage and Household Formation: Issues and Influences PART III: WORLDS BEYOND: MARKET, CROWN AND CHURCH Peasants and the Market Peasants and Politics Peasants and Religion Conclusion Notes Further Reading Index