Gervase Rosser – författare

As a royal capital, Westminster was unique: a small town, characterized by a complex economy and society, but lacking legal incorporation. Gervase Rosser examines the nature of the urban community. Given social diversity and competing interests, what forces existed to contain tensions and ensure continuity? The regular expressions of shared interests and common identity - in local government, parochial life, and the activities of guilds - are perceived to be essential to the survival of the town. Gervase Rosser's argument has implications not only for the history of the small town, but for the history of urbanization throughout the medieval and early modern period.

Guilds and fraternities, voluntary associations of men and women, proliferated in medieval Europe. The Art of Solidarity in the Middle Ages explores the motives and experiences of the many thousands of men and women who joined together in these family-like societies. Rarely confined to a single craft, the diversity of guild membership was of its essence. Setting the English evidence in a European context, this study is not an institutional history, but instead is concerned with the material and non-material aims of the brothers and sisters of the guilds.Gervase Rosser addresses the subject of medieval guilds in the context of contemporary debates surrounding the identity and fulfilment of the individual, and the problematic question of his or her relationship to a larger society. Unlike previous studies, The Art of Solidarity in the Middle Ages does not focus on the guilds as institutions but on the social and moral processes which were catalysed by participation. These bodies founded schools, built bridges, managed almshouses, governed small towns, shaped religious ritual, and commemorated the dead, perceiving that association with a fraternity would be a potential catalyst of personal change. Participants cultivated the formation of new friendships between individuals, predicated on the understanding that human fulfilment depended upon a mutually transformative engagement with others. The peasants, artisans, and professionals who joined the guilds sought to change both their society and themselves. The study sheds light on the conception and construction of society in the Middle Ages, and suggests further that this evidence has implications for how we see ourselves.

Guilds and fraternities, voluntary associations of men and women, proliferated in medieval Europe. The Art of Solidarity in the Middle Ages explores the motives and experiences of the many thousands of men and women who joined together in these family-like societies. Rarely confined to a single craft, the diversity of guild membership was of its essence. Setting the English evidence in a European context, this study is not an institutional history, but instead is concerned with the material and non-material aims of the brothers and sisters of the guilds.Gervase Rosser addresses the subject of medieval guilds in the context of contemporary debates surrounding the identity and fulfilment of the individual, and the problematic question of his or her relationship to a larger society. Unlike previous studies, The Art of Solidarity in the Middle Ages does not focus on the guilds as institutions but on the social and moral processes which were catalysed by participation. These bodies founded schools, built bridges, managed almshouses, governed small towns, shaped religious ritual, and commemorated the dead, perceiving that association with a fraternity would be a potential catalyst of personal change. Participants cultivated the formation of new friendships between individuals, predicated on the understanding that human fulfilment depended upon a mutually transformative engagement with others. The peasants, artisans, and professionals who joined the guilds sought to change both their society and themselves. The study sheds light on the conception and construction of society in the Middle Ages, and suggests further that this evidence has implications for how we see ourselves.

This book brings together twelve outstanding articles by eminent historians to throw light on the evolution of medieval towns and the lives of their inhabitants. The essays span the period from the dramatic urban expansion of the thirteenth century to the crises in the fifteenth century as a result of plague, population decline and changes in the economy. Throughout the breadth of current debates surrounding the history of urban society is fully explored.

This is the first collection of translated sources on towns in medieval England. It draws on the great variety of written evidence for this significant and dynamic period of urban development, and invites students to consider for themselves the challenges and opportunities presented by a wide range of primary written sources. The introduction and editorial commentary situate the extracts within the larger context of European urban history, against a longer chronological backdrop and in relation to the most up-to-date research. Suggestions for further reading enable the student to engage critically with the materials and encourage new work in the field. Collectively, the texts and commentary provide an overview of English medieval urban history, while the emphasis throughout is on the particular character and potential of each type of written evidence, from legal and administrative records to inventories of shops, and from letters and poetry to legendary civic histories.

This is the first collection of translated sources on towns in medieval England. It draws on the great variety of written evidence for this significant and dynamic period of urban development, and invites students to consider for themselves the challenges and opportunities presented by a wide range of primary written sources. The introduction and editorial commentary situate the extracts within the larger context of European urban history, against a longer chronological backdrop and in relation to the most up-to-date research. Suggestions for further reading enable the student to engage critically with the materials and encourage new work in the field. Collectively, the texts and commentary provide an overview of English medieval urban history, while the emphasis throughout is on the particular character and potential of each type of written evidence, from legal and administrative records to inventories of shops, and from letters and poetry to legendary civic histories.

This book brings together twelve outstanding articles by eminent historians to throw light on the evolution of medieval towns and the lives of their inhabitants. The essays span the period from the dramatic urban expansion of the thirteenth century to the crises in the fifteenth century as a result of plague, population decline and changes in the economy. Throughout the breadth of current debates surrounding the history of urban society is fully explored.

This volume of essays explores the interaction of Church and town in the medieval period in England. Two major themes structure the book. In the first part the authors explore the social and economic dimensions of the interaction; in the second part the emphasis moves to the spaces and built forms of towns and their church buildings. The primary emphasis of the essays is upon the urban activities of the medieval Church as a set of institutions: parish, diocese, monastery, cathedral. In these various institutional roles the Church did much to shape both the origin and the development of the medieval town. In exploring themes of topography, marketing and law the authors show that the relationship of Church and town could be both mutually beneficial and a source of conflict.