In the first half of this collection of Karl Leyser's studies on the high middle ages, two themes are especially explored. The first is the European aristocratic world of the early eleventh century; the second is the fragmentation of this world in the course of the revolution set in motion by Gregory VII. The essays in the second half stress the importance of communications for the new forms of warfare and government developing in the twelfth century.

In the first half of this collection of Karl Leyser's studies on the high middle ages, two themes are especially explored. The first is the European aristocratic world of the early eleventh century; the second is the fragmentation of this world in the course of the revolution set in motion by Gregory VII. The essays in the second half stress the importance of communications for the new forms of warfare and government developing in the twelfth century.