Cross and Scepter: The Rise of the Scandinavian Kingdoms from the Vikings to the Reformation

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Princeton University Press, 6 apr 2014 - 336 pagine

A concise history of medieval Scandinavia

Christianity and European-style monarchy—the cross and the scepter—were introduced to Scandinavia in the tenth century, a development that was to have profound implications for all of Europe. Cross and Scepter is a concise history of the Scandinavian kingdoms from the age of the Vikings to the Reformation, written by Scandinavia's leading medieval historian. Sverre Bagge shows how the rise of the three kingdoms not only changed the face of Scandinavia, but also helped make the territorial state the standard political unit in Western Europe. He describes Scandinavia’s momentous conversion to Christianity and the creation of church and monarchy there, and traces how these events transformed Scandinavian law and justice, military and administrative organization, social structure, political culture, and the division of power among the king, aristocracy, and common people. Bagge sheds important new light on the reception of Christianity and European learning in Scandinavia, and on Scandinavian history writing, philosophy, political thought, and courtly culture. He looks at the reception of European impulses and their adaptation to Scandinavian conditions, and examines the relationship of the three kingdoms to each other and the rest of Europe, paying special attention to the inter-Scandinavian unions and their consequences for the concept of government and the division of power.

Cross and Scepter provides an essential introduction to Scandinavian medieval history for scholars and general readers alike, offering vital new insights into state formation and cultural change in Europe.

 

Sommario

Introduction
1
The Origins of the Scandinavian Kingdoms
9
The Consolidation of the Scandinavian Kingdoms c 10501350
50
State Formation Social Change and the Division of Power
119
Royal Aristocratic and Ecclesiastical Culture
174
The Later Middle Ages Agrarian Crisis Constitutional Conflicts and Scandinavian Unions
232
Scandinavian State Formation 9001537Break and Continuity
290
Literature
293
References and Guide to Further Reading
301
Index
315
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Informazioni sull'autore (2014)

Sverre Bagge is professor emeritus of medieval history at the University of Bergen in Norway. His books include Kings, Politics, and the Right Order of the World in German Historiography.

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