City and Society in the Low Countries, 1100-1600

Description

The Low Countries was collectively one of the earliest and most heavily urbanised societies in European history. Present-day Belgium and the Netherlands still share important common features, such as comparatively low income inequalities, high levels of per capita income, a balanced political structure, and a strong 'civil society'. This book traces the origins of this specific social model in medieval patterns of urbanisation, while also searching for explanations for the historical reproduction of social inequalities. Access to cheap inland river navigation and to the sea generated a 'river delta' urbanisation that explains the persistence of a decentralised urban economic network, marked by intensive cooperation and competition and by the absence of real metropolises. Internally as well, powerful checks and balances prevented money and power from being concentrated. Ultimately, however, the utmost defining characteristic of the Low Countries' urban cultures was located in their resilient middle classes. Cover Endorsements Half-title Title page Copyright information Dedication Table of contents List of figures List of contributors Acknowledgments 1 City and Society in the Low Countries: Urbanisation and Urban Historiography Geographical and Chronological Markers Thematic Axes 2 Economic Vitality: Urbanisation, Regional Complementarity and European Interaction Durability and Change: The Specific Development of Urban Networks in the Low Countries Regional Dynamics: Town and Country Crossroads of Northern Europe? Trade and Transport in the Late Middle Ages and the Long Sixteenth Century From Unfettered Capitalism to Regulated Labour Market? Changes in the Supply Sector... Conclusions 3 Living Together in the City: Social Relationships Between Norm and Practice Introduction The Ideal of the Commune Merchants and Landowners: The Powers That Be The Rise of Corporate Middling Groups An Urban Nobility? Guild, Clan and Nuclear Family The Horsemen of the Apocalypse Gallop from Crisis to Crisis Economic Conversion and the Triumph of the Urban Middling Groups A ‘Golden Age’ for the Wage-Labourer … or for the Urban Middling Groups? Slipping Through the Net? Poverty and Discipline 4 ‘The Common Good’: Governance, Discipline and Political Culture The Question of Discipline: Paradigms and Propositions Textualisation and Urban Identity Norms and Rules: The City as a Regulatory Body Discipline in Practice: Conflict Management and Criminalisation The Struggle for Power in the City Sword, Flag and Pen: Resistance in the City Political Morality as a Weapon and an Ideology Conclusion 5 Civic Religion: Community, Identity and Religious Transformation Civic Religion? Urbanisation and Ecclesiastical Structures The ‘Monasticisation’ of the City Lay Piety in Town Collective Religious Repertoires Religious Transformations Epilogue 6 Urban Space: Infrastructure, Technology and Power More Than Just Bricks and Mortar: A History of Infrastructure and Facilities The Construction of an Urban Site The Development of Centres’ Roles Demarcating Boundaries Caritas as the Key Component of Civic Unity Conclusion 7 At Home in the City: The Dynamics of Material Culture Residential Styles and Cultures At Home in the City Innovations in Products and Processes Design Social Boundaries Savoir Vivre Material Culture and the City 8 Education and Knowledge: Theory and Practice in an Urban Context Reading, Writing and Arithmetic Teaching and Discipline Vocational Education: Learning on the Shop Floor and the Role of Craft Guilds Handbooks and ‘Artes-Literature’ The ‘Latin’ School: A Link Between Elementary and Higher Education Higher Education Interactions between Court, University and Town Conclusion 9 Epilogue: The Legacy of the Medieval City in the Low Countries Select Bibliography Chapter 1 Websites Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Index