Feudal Society, Volume 1: The Growth of Ties of Dependence

Feudal Society #1

by Marc Bloch, L.A. Manyon (Translator)

Feudal Society is the masterpiece of one of the greatest historians of the century. Marc Bloch's supreme achievement was to recreate the vivid and complex world of Western Europe from the ninth to the thirteenth centuries. For Bloch history was a living organism, and to write of it was an endless process of creative evolution and of growing understanding. The author treats feudalism as a vitalising force in European society. He surveys the social and economic conditions in which feudalism developed; he sees the structures of kinship which underlay the formal relationships of vassal and overlord. For Bloch these relationships are mutual as much as coercive, the product of a dangerous and uncertain world. His insights into the lives of the nobility and the clergy and his deep understanding of the processes at work in medieval Europe, are profound and memorable.

Genres: History, Medieval History, Medieval, Nonfiction, European History, Politics, Sociology

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Marc Léopold Benjamin Bloch (6 July 1886 in Lyon – 16 June 1944 in Saint-Didier-de-Formans) was a medieval historian, University Professor and French Army officer. Bloch was a founder of the Annales School, best known for his pioneering studies French Rural History and Feudal Society and his posthumously-published unfinished meditation on the writing of history, The Historian's Craft. He was captured and shot by the Gestapo during the German occupation of France for his work in the French Resistance.

Reviews

[Jan-Maat]

What I particularly enjoy about Bloch's study is the sense of feudal Europe as dynamic. Institutions are changing while different areas are developing in different ways and influencing each other. Waves of immigrant Magyars, Vikings and Muslims are sweeping, sailing, and galloping in from the edges of the European land mass at the beginning of Bloch's story - this is a world in crisis, productivity is low, authority is weak, everything is vulnerable, nailed down or not.

Despite it's age it's still a treasure trove of information about the period and well worth reading. Read with Ganshof's Feudalism for an alternative view of Europe at that time. Ganshof's work is careful, precise and legalistic, Bloch is impressionistic, bold and all about the big picture, his still the defining vision of a weak Europe out of which develops this curious resilient society. The basic feature of which is the voluntary acceptance of dependency in exchange for title to land. The slight problem is that in the universality of Bloch's vision one can't escape the worry that the concept is so dilute as to be quackery or homoeopathy depending on your level of personal sourness. Suddenly Bloch discovers Feudal societies everywhere from Ireland to Japan, yet if we accept his view that these were all Feudal societies, plainly they were not all the same, a common feature of a link between service, generally military, and landholding is fairly thin, I'm no longer sure if it is an insight of brilliance or profoundly insubstantial, it is not central to his discussion but it is why I link him to Ganshof, two opposing visions that need to be taken together like having coffee with your brandy. The peculiar strength of Feudal society was that it was bi-directional, benefits and duties ran together, the grant of land required service to the grantor, but also gave legal authority over the people who worked the land. A kind of deep decentralisation, it is also curiously legal, on the one hand horses, swords and castles, on the other courts, trials and rights and rights of appeal. Its all about jurisdiction as much as economics.

Though once you've read this then Feudal Society, Volume 2 is almost unavoidable - one book cruelly split by translator and publisher.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Marc Bloch is the historian that all current historians secretly (or not) wish that they could be. He writes beautifully, researches with a remarkable breadth, and conveys his ideas with thoughtfulness and clarity, weaving together little details into big tapestries. He also, to top it off, fought in the French Resistance. Even if you're not a historian, you probably want to be like Marc Bloch too, and just don't know it yet.

Feudal Society takes the scope of its name very seriously: unlike a lot of books on feudalism, Bloch roams through all the relevant fields of interest. There are chapters on literacy, the development of legal culture, and the pervading attitudes towards nature and time. The first 150 or so pages could read like a selection from a general textbook on medieval history (that I really wish Bloch had written). This forms the bedrock for the bulk of his study: the emergence and development of vassalage and feudal ties. Bloch explores it in all its complexities, essentially characterizing it as a mesh of the personal, the political, and the economic, arising in the midst of a period of disorder when the traditional ties of kinship no longer sufficed. It's very nuanced but very readable.

On to volume two!

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feudal Society by Marc Bloch is one of the definitive guides to the study of feudalism during the medieval period. The book’s main focus is on feudalism in Western Europe, though it does mention other regions as well, however only briefly. If you are just beginning the study of feudalism, I would actually recommend investigating other titles that give a more general overview of the subject from a high-level. Bloch’s books, volumes I and II, discuss the subject on a granular level, a “down in the weeds” approach as opposed to a surface-level overview. You will have to read and re-read this book, and even then, you will likely not understand everything fully. It’s certainly a book to be poured over, to diagnose sections or chapters or even paragraphs. It’s a book where you could spend hours investigating his cross-references and still not be satisfied. It is life’s work condensed into two volumes.

If you were to start with Bloch’s book as an introduction to the subject, I would recommend reading it through without stopping to examine or meditate too much. It can be overwhelming. Personally, as a reader, I have a hard time doing this. I found myself reading the same paragraphs several times to make everything sink in. If you were to read it without pause, you will come away with remembrance of the important points of the subject. You can easily get sidetracked if you want, for example, stopping to further investigate the differences between feudalism and manorialism.

A general breakdown of the book is as follows:

Part I -The Environment: The Last Invasions
This section focuses on the time around the fall of the Roman Empire and the subsequent invasions of Europe by the likes of the Hungarians, Moslems, and Scandinavians.

Part II – The Environment: Conditions of Life and Mental Climate
If you are reading this through for the first time, I actually feel like you could skip most of this section and come back to it later. In my opinion, the subject matter in this section is secondary or tertiary to the actual foundations of feudal society, except for Chapter 4: Material Conditions and Economic Characteristics. You should read Chapter 4, but the others you could probably skip (Chapters 5, 6, and 7). You might want to read Chapter 8 as well, as it discusses The Foundations of Law.

Part III – The Ties Between Man and Man: Kinship
This section is important to understanding the powerful bond among kin that would carry over to the powerful bond between lord and vassal later on.

Part IV – The Ties Between Man and Man: Vassalage and the Fief
This section is where you really get into the topics most people think of when they hear the word feudalism: vassal and lord, homage, the fief. Remember, this is not your seventh grade history course on feudalism. This part takes a deep dive into the subject matter. Be prepared to read in short bursts and come back to it later. If you are reading this book for a second time, I would start in part four and begin my study here.

Part V – Ties of Dependance among the Lower Orders of Society
This is the last part of volume I. Here, you will find topics such as manorialism, serfdom, and villeinage. This is another great section to read and re-read.
So in conclusion, if you are new to the subject of medieval history and feudalism, do not start here. It will likely be overwhelming. If you are reading Bloch’s book for the first time, I would read it on a surface level and re-visit certain sections later. Also, you might consider skipping chapters five through seven on a first go-around. If I am coming back to Bloch’s book for a second or third time, I would start with sections four and five. These two sections get to the heart of the subject matter.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extensive and rather academic study of feudalism from the beginning.

It opens with a discussion of the invasions they faced, and then its conditions such as issues in trade and travel, views of history, and more. It then goes in deep with feudalism itself -- the term feudal was actually derived from a legal term of the era, which did not, of course, apply to the system at the time. Vassals, the change from service being fit only for a slave as in Roman times, the terminology and its sources and mutations, the differences over centuries and across large stretches of Europe.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Certainly an undeniable classic in the field of "history of the middle ages". As other reviewers have already noted, Bloch was one of the initial members of what grew to become the "annales" school of western history, though, to be fair, he died before you could call it a "school" or "movement".

Volume one of the two volume set looks at the growth of feudalism in western society, and by western I'm talking about Northern France, Western Germany, England and Northern Italy. Bloch's main concern in this volume is setting the conditions which led to the developmen of feudalism from 800 AD to 1000 AD and then describing the various forms that feudalism took.

The book is well translated, and I found it hard to argue with much of the thesis. I too have read Norman Cantor's "the Making of the Middle Ages" where he calls Bloch a Marxist (and maligns the entire Annales school). I've also read more recent productions from the Annales school. I have to say, based on this particular book, I don't really see where Bloch is a)romanticizing the peasant (another Cantor criticism) or b) a marxist.

It seemed to me that Bloch's explanation for the growth of feudalism was, basically, that central government decayed to the point where various muck a mucks needed to find an alternative way to "rally the troops" in the face of frequent small to mid size invasions. Feudalism, with its emphasis on individual obligation and quid pro pro, was an attempt to remedy the lack of communication over long distances and lack of central authority.

The peasants didn't really figure in this book at all, except near the end. Certainly, one wouldn't accuse this book of being filled with marxist/post-modern/decontructionist gobbeldy gook. This is a must read for those interested in the field, especially lay men.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable, but with a more specific intention than I had hoped for. Some political history was covered in the beginning, in particular with the invasion and settlement of northern Germanic peoples (e.g. the Vikings) in England and France. But there was little discussion of the structure of church and state, or of the Crusades, or the growth of towns and the artisan class, or of trade.

Instead the focus is on the social relationships of the era. The family relationship, the relationship between lord and vassal, the growth of manorial estates which transformed from peasants with customary dues towards serfdom by the end of the period.

I'm holding out hope that the second volume covers some of what was missing here!

[Vita Anggraeni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really reccomend this book for those who choose to understand what is feudal and its transformantion within european society.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for a medieval studies class. But my affection for Marc Bloch began in a high school history course in which my teacher kept bringing up Bloch's ideas of a historical continuum I think it was. Don't remember much of what Mr. Bloch taught on the rudiments of Feudal Society. Mostly I remember the bleak landscape of UMass Boston, and myself transposed into a future feudal society, this largely being the result of my lifelong addiction to apocalyptic fiction of the sci fi variety.

[Lars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful and pleasant to read, Bloch's analysis of the development and maintenance of feudal structures and societies is one of the best I have read. Succinct but still rich in detail, highly recommended work from a premier medieval scholar.

[Pedro Pascoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 6, part 1 of a short reading course, recommended by Norman F. Cantor.

Not entirely sure that a review at this stage is warranted, as I have just started Part 2, but will forge ahead at any rate.

I found this book both difficult and fascinating to read in almost equal measure. Difficult as the prose was a bit dense, requiring alertness all of the time, lest one gets lost in the often extended passages of sheer history and lose the train of thought being so elaborately laid out.

Fascinating in that the subject material, and the approach, gets to the heart of what kept European feudalism together, as much a work of sociology as it is of history, and a key to understanding the intricate webs of human interaction and inter-connectedness across all strata of society. A work that lances several lazy notions of medieval history and sweeps across the variations and permutations of the notion of 'Feudalism', the regional differences and applications of the practice. More importantly, a reminder that the language used at the time was subject to drift, and, in some cases, inversion. That what seemed to be on the surface something of a permanent feature in fact, upon examining the local histories of areas, turns out to be a slowly evolving process with increasingly outdated terms.

For all that, it was a constant push to keep reading, which was for me, probably the only thing keeping it from a 5 star rating.

As stated, I've already hit part 2, very recommended. And, given the brief bio on the back of the book, it seems such a shame that such a passionate and eloquent observer of history was caught up entirely in one of the ugliest parts of history in modern times.

[Mihai Zodian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Marc Bloch, La société féodale, Albin Michel, 1982, ediţie electronică, 513 p.

Societatea feudală demonstrează importanţa interpretării, a perspectivelor teoretice în cunoașterea socialului şi trecutului. După cum remarca prefaţatorul celei de-a doua ediţii americane, T.S. Brown, lucrarea a influenţat disciplinele umaniste, inclusiv ştiinţele politice, oferind o cale de a înţelege conexiunile dintre structuri, grupuri şi mentaţităţile unei epoci[2]. Din acest motiv, deşi veche de decinii şi des criticată, ea reprezintă una dintre produsele de căpătâi ale şcolii Annales şi nu numai.

Sinteza conţine două teze majore. Mai întâi, în contrast cu Regii taumaturgi, avem aici o abordare structuralistă a societăţii medievale, inspirată de Émile Durkheim[3]. În al doilea rând, conceptul definitoriu al lui Marc Bloch este cel de feudalism, care, în opinia sa, dincolo de multele sale sensuri, acoperă două realităţi sociale distincte, aici autorul deosebindu-se de cercetătorii care au privilegiat Res publica Christiana, Imperiul sau imaginarul religios drept trăsături fundamentale.

Discuţiile recurente din domeniul relaţiilor internaţionale despre neorealism fac ca abordarea istoricului francez să ofere unele sugestii, chiar dacă vorbim despre o carte publicată în 1939-1940. De exemplu, aşa cum a avertizat Ruggie[4], Evul Mediu şi aranjamente instituţionale precum feudalismul nu se înscriu uşor în dihotomia waltziană anarhie-ierarhie[5]. Structura lui Bloch este modificată de către procese angrenate de schimbări din cadrul interacţiunilor şi se corelează cu o imagine a lumii şi divinităţii, în stil durkheimian.

Prin feudalism, istoricul înţelegea „subordonare a ruralului, plată în natură… supremaţia unei clase de războinici specializaţi… legături de ascultare şi protecţie personală… atomizare a puterilor… dar şi supravieţuirea altor forme de organizare”[6]. Apărut în urma migraţiilor arabă, vikingă şi maghiară, prima formă caracteriza o lume a depopulării, călătoriilor riscante, autoconsumului şi fără o prea mare răspândire a banilor[7]. Cea de-a doua, în schimb, evidenţia o intensificare a „emigraţiei interne” şi nu numi, dezvoltarea comerţului în Mediterană şi în Flandra, o creştere a importanţei monezilor, renaşterea urabă, un importanţă sporită a monarhiilor[8].

În centrul feudalismului găsim un grup social, aristocraţia armelor, formând un corp social nu întotdeauna uşor de înţeles. Pentru Marc Bloch, nu este vorba despre o nobilime ereditară, pe care o consideră „o apariţie relativ tardivă”[9]. Iniţial, elita se definesa prin posesia domeniului şi prin funcţia războinică[10], iar din secolele XII-XIII, începe să devină mai formală; istoricul strălucind în rememorarea modului de viaţă al acestor cavaleri şi baroni[11].

Uneori alături, alteori în rivalitate cu aristocraţia, Biserica. Frontiera dintre clerici şi laici nu era, în epoca feudală, acea linie clară şi fermă pe care Contrareforma avea să se străduiască a o trasa[12]. Integraţi în ordinea vremii, cu propriile domenii[13], cei dintâi aveau să devină mai bine organizaţi în urma iniţiativelor gregoriene[14] şi erau marcaţi de dualismul destinului lor, situat între Dumnezeu şi lumea păcătoasă[15].

„O opoziţie primordială se revelează, foarte uşor de înţeles: de-o parte, oamenii liberi, de cealaltă parte, servii”, sublinia Marc Bloch[16]. În această lume predominant rurală, inegalitatea este însă mai ambiguă şi supusă variaţiilor spaţiului şi timpului şi moştenită, cu obligaţii diverse, iar iobăgia ia amploare[17]. Aceasta avea un caracter personal şi va tinde spre exprimarea obligaţiilor în monedă, mai ales odată cu a doua perioadă a feudalismului[18].

„ Din secolul al XI-lea… termenilor de cavaler, de cleric, de rustic, numele de burghez li se opune fără ambiguitate”, evidenţia autorul[19]. Oraşul era definit în principal prin activitatea comercială şi meşteşuguri[20]. Originală pentru că reunea egali, „ferment propriu-zis revoluţionar”, mişcarea comunală aparţine acestui spaţiu care a influenţat pe termen lung tipul şi anvergura proceselor sociale[21].

De la structurile unei lumi nesigure, plină de sărăcie şi mortalitate ridicată, la imaginar: „aceste catastrofe dau existenţei un gust al precarităţii perpetue… Una dintre dintre raţiunile instabilităţii sentimentale”[22]. „O vastă indiferenţă faţă de timp”[23], bilingvism latină-limbi vernaculare[24], acea societate îşi găseşte prima formă de expresie accesibilă nouă în arhitectura romanică[25]. Mentalităţi religioase, dar autorul insistă, nu dominate de un „crez rigid şi uniform”[26], pentru care „lumea sensibilă nu era decât o mască, în spatele căreia se întâmplau lucrurile cu adevărat importante”[27].

O lucrare ambiţioasă şi clară, la société féodale imprsionează prin metodă, dar a devenit vulnerabilă odată cu schimbarea curentelor dominante din studiile umaniste[28]. Ea ne araă, însă, importanţa interdisciplinarităţii, destul de greu de realizat, iar, pentru cercetătorii din relaţiile internaţionale, o modalitate de a integra structura şi schimbarea. Lectură plăcută, lucrarea lui Marc Bloch îşi exercită încă influenţa prin intermediul succesorilor istoricului din şcoala Annales (MZ).

________________________________________
[1] T. S. Brown, ”Foreword”, în Feudal Society, Routledge, f.l., 1962, vol. I, pp. xi-xii.
[2] Marc Bloch, Regii taumaturgi, Polirom, Iași, 1997.
[3] John G. Ruggie, ”Continuity and Transformation in World Polity: Towards a Neorealist Synthesis”,World Politics, ianuarie 1983.
[4] Idem, pp. 273-276.
[5] Marc Bloch, La société féodale, Albin Michel, 1982, ediţie electronică, Université du Québec a Chicoutimi, http://classiques.uqac.ca/classiques/... spetembrie 2012), p. 418.
[6] Idem, pp. 67-74.
[7] Idem, pp. 75—78.
[8] Idem, p. 269.
[9] Idem, pp. 274-277
[10]Idem, pp. 304-310, p. 264.
[11]Idem, p. 38.
[12]Idem, pp. 329-330.
[13]Idem, pp. 333-335
[14]Idem, p. 331.
[15]Idem, p. 264.
[16]Idem, pp. 244-246, 250, 252.
[17]Idem, pp. 253, 266.
[18]Idem, p. 335.
[19]Idem, p. 336.
[20]Idem, p. 337.
[21]Idem, p. 79.
[22]Idem, p. 80.
[23]Idem, p. 81
[24]Idem, p. 66.
[25]Idem, p. 87.
[26]Idem, p. 88
[27] T. S. Brown, ”Foreword”, în op. cit., p. xi.”

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[Sinan Öner]

French History Professor Marc Bloch's "monumental" book "Feudal Society" was published by Chicago University in two volumes in 1964. Marc Bloch explains the history of formation and development of feudal societies in Europe in detail in his "Feudal Society". Marc Bloch practised his the new historiographical methodology (Marc Bloch published his "Historian's Craft or a Defense of Historian" when he works his history books) in "Feudal Society". Marc Bloch was one of the publisher Historians of "Annales" history periodics, Marc Bloch's "Feudal Society" is one of the best books of "Annales" Historians. In "Feudal Society", Marc Bloch tells the stories of feudal structures and feudal relations in France, in Germany, in Spain, in Netherlands, in England, in other European countries with his "comparative methodological view", but although the differences of feudalism's developments in the different European countries, Marc Bloch thinks that there is "a European feudalism".

[Andy]

The central irony explored here is that by the time feudalism becomes a more formalized, homogonized system it is no longer necessary. Formed in a rather ad hoc and organic manner, in reaction to collapse of central states accelerated by centuries of invasion from all sides and a resulting economic shrinking, feudalism is a shift from economic ties to a sort of abstraction of germanic warrior kinship societal relationships.
As the Ummayads, hungarians and Norse either receded or converted themselves into agrarian settled societies, market economies and formalized legal frameworks began to reestablish themselves. As the legal systems and states reasserted themselves, this ad hoc system becomes codified in all its messy and contradictory glory. Also as the economy revitalizes, the vassals and lords inexorably begin to find ways to exploit their relationships economically, often undermining the military basis they're formed on.

A fascinating dense read

[David Wurtsmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely worth a look for the serious medieval history buff, or if you're writing something that takes place during that period (like I am). Otherwise, I'm afraid the text is a little too dry and academic to interest the average reader. Then again this book *is* almost a hundred years old, so it was written with a very different readership in mind. Honestly, the author's biography is probably the most interesting aspect of this book: he pioneered a new school of historical scholarship (the "Annales" school) he enlisted in the French army and fought in both world wars, he joined La Résistance against the Nazis, he was captured, tortured, and imprisoned but never ratted on his compatriots, and taught French history to the other inmates until the day he was executed. What an absolute Chad! 🤩

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful, revolutionary examination of medieval society, written by a predecessor of the Annales school of history. The Annalistes widened the traditional focus of historical scholarship from a simple focus on political and military events to a broader view of the wider aspects of social and economic environments that shape long-term developments within a society. Bloch's 1940 work is a seminal development in both the study of medieval history as well as the wider discipline itself.

[Samuel Eastlund · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloch's first half of his overview of the Feudal Society begins with the political background and the years of the invasions by the Saracens, Hungarians, and the Northmen. The developments of the feudal ties are presented and Bloch differentiates well between feudalism in different countries. He ends with a discussion of the manorial system in medieval Europe.

I really enjoyed this book. I've been trying to find a good book on feudalism for a while, and I think that Bloch has written what I've been looking for. He provides a clear picture of what the distinctive features of feudalism are, as well as being readable and engaging.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

" A society, like a mind, is woven of perpetual interaction." p. 59 I read this book on the recommendation of a Trinity University professor who believed that Bloch was the 20th century's finest historian. Certainly the book was beautifully readable for me. Bloch, who was French, became a resistance fighter during WW2 and was killed by the Nazis for being Jewish.

[Kevin Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not for lite reading, but very informative. This most definitely is a scholarly written work. If the workings of Feudal Society interests you, then enjoy this book. I will at some point read volume II, just not right away.

[Conceitedreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

p.good

[Burak Çelik · Rating 3 out of 5]

İlk bölümleri çok başarılı olsa da daha sonrasında "genel okuyucuya" çok hitap etmiyordu. Sonraki bölümler daha zçyade akademik bir makale için başvuru kitabı olabilir

[Daniel B-G · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfocused and confusing. Some good snippets, but I found my head hurting just trying to focus on the text.

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-known milestone in medieval historiography and one of the easiest five stars I've ever given. To sum up, Bloch starts off with the internal breakdown of state power in early medieval Europe and the numerous external threats it faced, setting the stage for a society where power was increasingly local and based on personal bonds of allegiance - in other words a feudal society. He then proceeds to analyse in-depth the nitty-gritty workings of these personal bonds and how they shaped both the workings of power and the mentality of the people, and this is where the book really shines. I can hardly think of a better book if one wants to understand the nuts and bolts of how feudalism worked in medieval Europe and how it impacted European culture, or at least parts of it: It's heavily focused on France, particularly northern France which provides the standard model of European feudalism for Bloch, as well as Germany and England, with occasional asides to Spain, Italy and Scandinavia. To finish off, he explains how the growth of the power of the kings through increasingly effective state bureaucracies began to reduce the feudal character of these regions during the high middle ages. It's not however what I'd call an "entertaining" book as the subject matter can be dense, but it's highly informative and thus never boring if one has an interest in the subject.

[Jackson Cyril · Rating 5 out of 5]

A work of monumental erudition and breathtaking scope. A masterpiece in the truest sense of the word. We can only wonder what more he could have added had Bloch not been killed by the Nazis. (There is a touching story of an older Bloch-- tortured, battered and bloodied-- facing the Nazi shooting squad: "A kid of sixteen trembled not far from him. “This is going to hurt.” Marc Bloch affectionately took his hand and simply said, “No, my boy, it doesn’t hurt,” and fell first, crying out: “Vive La France!" (taken from the Annales d'historie sociale))

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A detailed and interesting study of Medieval life and times, by a fine French historian.

[Wm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This pretty much shows Marc Bloch at his most usual--a big generalist. There's nothing wrong with that, however. He helped get the ball rolling in the Annales School of History with that mindset.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book many times, and its lucidity continues to amaze me. Only Bloch can push the complex events together so cleanly.

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

finally, done right

[!Tæmbuŝu]

KOBOBOOKS

[Ellis Knox · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books about the Middle Ages. I've read it twice, at least.