Mediaeval Feudalism

Although this book is slightly dated (written over 60 years ago) I still found it to be a good, concise, and well-written overview of medieval feudalism. Stephenson covers such areas as social arrangements, familial, tribal, and civic relationships, titles of honor and authority, and age-marking ceremonies. Most of us are foggy on the details of how people lived in medieval Europe during the feudal era. This book is a quick read (I finished it easily in 2 days), and helps to flesh out the on-the-ground history of an era that has done much to shape our current history.

Carl Stephenson (1886-1954) was an early to mid-20th century American Medievalist, a student of Charles Homer Haskins (America's "first medievalist"). This little gem was written in 1942 before the more fashionable works on Feudalism by Bloch, Ganshof, Reynolds and Brown. It is a solid and easily digested foundation written in a delightfully simple down to earth style. Even if some of the perspectives have been questioned or expanded by later works, this still provides a necessary and accessible foundation. As the opening paragraph of the 1956 edition says: [START QUOTE] SINCE its first printing in 1942 the late Carl Stephenson's 'Mediaeval Feudalism' has enjoyed a distinguished career. Eminent historians of America and Europe have reviewed it with high praise in the most respected historical journals. To the college freshman it has been a "vade mecum" in the awesome task of mastering such complicated feudal principles as subinfeudation and liege homage. The omniscient graduate student has at first reading whisked through it with disdain, casting it aside for the imaginative hypotheses of a Marc Bloch or for the impressive tomes of German historians, only to come meekly back to it to obtain his bearings and a sense of proportion. Seasoned scholars and teachers have read the book with discrimination, realizing that behind each page stood years of research and thought devoted to the study of feudalism in mediaeval Europe; they in turn have recommended it to their students. [END QUOTE] Another book by Stephenson, Medieval History: Europe from the Fourth to the Sixteenth Century, was for decades one of the most widely used textbooks in the field. He is probably best known for Borough and Town: A Study of Urban Origins in England (1933). Stephenson was working in an age rife with prejudiced nationalism among European scholars; as an outsider he helped show the commonality of medieval institutions and move the discussion beyond 19th and early 20th century nationalistic concerns.

Carl Stephenson's essay sets out with luminous clarity the structure of power in European society during the medieval period. Not only does the author set out the political structure of feudalism clearly and concisely, but also its economic and historical origins, and he brings to life feudalism's social and cultural consequences. As valuable as the information in the book is to those interested in the book's immediate subject, the book is also important as a model of brilliant expository writing.That it is still in print after over fifty years is a testament to its staying power. It is now time for its broader audience to find it.