Lordship and the Decentralised State in Late Medieval Europe

The origins of modern European states are often traced back to the expansion of royal and princely authority in the late Middle Ages, transforming scattered power structures into centralised governments.

Lordship and the Decentralised State in Late Medieval Europe rethinks state formation as a process of decentralisation, exploring how these governments willingly left power to lesser political players. It challenges the assumption that the rise of states made lordship obsolete, showing instead how distributing authority among local lords reinforced the development of new political systems.

The contributors tackle this fresh perspective on lordship and state formation from two complementary angles. Detailed snapshots of lordship in France and the Low Countries assess the political significance of different aspects of lordly power. Historiographical essays discuss frameworks for understanding relationships between lordship and the state in contexts across Europe. These comparative perspectives establish an innovative approach to a key question in political history.

Erika Graham-Goering, Associate Professor, University of Oslo,Jim van der Meulen, Postdoctoral Researcher, Ghent University,Frederik Buylaert, Full Professor, Ghent University

Erika Graham-Goering is Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology, Conservation, and History at the University of Oslo.


Jim van der Meulen is a social historian at Ghent University with a broad specialisation in the Low Countries between 1300 and 1700, combining expertise in political, socio-economic, cultural, and environmental history.


Frederik Buylaert, Professor of History at Ghent University, is a social historian of the Low Countries with a side interest in comparative history and the history of historiography.

List of Figures and MapsList of TablesNotes on ContributorsAcknowledgementsForeword, Justine Firnhaber-BakerIntroduction: Lordship and the Decentralised State in Late Medieval, Erika Graham-Goering, Jim van der Meulen, and Frederik Bulaert1. Lordship and the State: Alloy or Emulsion?, John WattsPart I Case Studies of Lordship in France and the Low Countries2. Integrative Approaches to (Co-)Lordship in Late Medieval Languedoc, Erika Graham-Goering3. Rehabilitating Norman Lordship: The Fief of Hauberk and its Judicial Rights in the 15th and 16th Centuries, Yasline Bourgine De Meder4. (De)Centralising Governance in Late Medieval France: Actors and Mechanisms, Georg Jostkleigrewe5. Seigneurial Lordship and the State in the County of Flanders (c. 1350-1550), Frederick Buylaert6. Pursuit of Nobility and the Priorities of Political Representatives in Early 15th-Century Flanders, Wim Blockmans7. Lordship in Medieval Holland and Zeeland, Rombert Stapel and Arie van Steensel8. Urban Political Elites and Seigneurial Lordship: Antwerp and its Hinterland (c. 1400-1550), Janna Everaert and Sieben Feys9. The Seigneurial Landscapes of Riverine Brabant and Guelders (15th-16th Centuries), Mario Damen and Jim van der MeulenConclusions to Part I: Lordship, Commonwealth, Variegated Polities, and the State, Elizabeth A. R. BrownPart II European Historiographies of Lordship10. Lordship and State Formation in Late Medieval England, Chris Given-Wilson11. Lordship and State Formation in Scotland, 1300-1500, Alice Taylor12. Lordship and State Formation in the Holy Roman Empire, 1300-1550, Hillay Zmora13. A Land of Lords: Lordship and State Formation in the Italian Peninsula, Francesco Bozzi14. Jurisdiction: The Crooked Leg of Lordship? State Formation in Castile in the 15th Century, José Antonio Jara Fuente15. Lordship and State in Scandinavia, c. 1300-1500, Hans Jacob OrningConclusions to Part II: State and Lordship: Concluding Remarks, Jean Philippe GenetIndex