Publications of the UCLA Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies – serie

Feudal Assessments and the Political Community under Henry II and His Sons by Thomas K. Keefe offers a groundbreaking study of the financial and military foundations of the Angevin monarchy. Drawing on the major feudal surveys of the twelfth century—the Infeudationes militum and the Cartae baronum—Keefe reexamines the machinery of knight service, scutage, and taxation to argue that Henry II and his successors created not just an administrative system but a political community bound together through obligations of service and money. By combining close statistical analysis with a reassessment of classic debates about scutage and feudal quotas, the book challenges long-held assumptions that Angevin kings consistently overreached and that baronial resistance fatally limited their fiscal ambitions.At once a contribution to medieval political, legal, and military history, this study reframes the dynamics of power in twelfth-century England and Normandy. Keefe shows that scutage, aids, and assessments were neither routine exactions nor failed experiments but central to the monarchy’s negotiation of authority with the realm’s greatest landholders. His reinterpretation suggests that Angevin government was more adaptive, and baronial cooperation more durable, than traditional narratives of oppression and revolt allow. Feudal Assessments and the Political Community under Henry II and His Sons thus illuminates the interplay of finance, lordship, and community in the making of the English polity, offering scholars a richly documented and revisionist account of medieval governance.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1983.

Dissent and Reform in the Early Middle Ages explores the complex relationship between orthodoxy and heresy, focusing on the ways in which dissent shaped the religious and intellectual landscape of medieval Europe. The book examines key moments in the early Middle Ages, such as the trial and execution of Ramihrd in 1077, to demonstrate the brutal repression faced by those who deviated from accepted Catholic teachings. By tracing the motivations behind dissent, whether rooted in reform, moral critique, or intellectual independence, the author sheds light on how both heretics and the Church viewed the tensions between right belief and right conduct. Dissenters, despite often facing violent repression, were frequently driven by a deep moral or spiritual commitment, challenging the orthodoxy that sought to maintain control over religious thought and practice. This study offers a historical perspective on how dissent was not only an opposition to Church authority but also an integral part of the medieval intellectual and social fabric.The book also delves into the different types of dissent that emerged during this period, such as Reformists, Eccentrics, and Catharists, each of whom presented alternative theological or moral viewpoints that threatened the Church’s established doctrines. The term heretic is interrogated within the historical and political context of the time, as dissent was often seen as a moral or social threat rather than purely a theological deviation. By identifying the various movements of dissent and reform, the study connects these figures and their beliefs to broader changes in medieval thought and society, highlighting the ways in which nonconformity both challenged and contributed to the development of Christian doctrine. Through this lens, the book examines the intersection of faith, power, and intellectual inquiry in shaping medieval Christianity, offering insight into the pivotal role that dissent played in the evolution of Western religious and cultural history.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1965.

Feudal Assessments and the Political Community under Henry II and His Sons by Thomas K. Keefe offers a groundbreaking study of the financial and military foundations of the Angevin monarchy. Drawing on the major feudal surveys of the twelfth century—the Infeudationes militum and the Cartae baronum—Keefe reexamines the machinery of knight service, scutage, and taxation to argue that Henry II and his successors created not just an administrative system but a political community bound together through obligations of service and money. By combining close statistical analysis with a reassessment of classic debates about scutage and feudal quotas, the book challenges long-held assumptions that Angevin kings consistently overreached and that baronial resistance fatally limited their fiscal ambitions.At once a contribution to medieval political, legal, and military history, this study reframes the dynamics of power in twelfth-century England and Normandy. Keefe shows that scutage, aids, and assessments were neither routine exactions nor failed experiments but central to the monarchy’s negotiation of authority with the realm’s greatest landholders. His reinterpretation suggests that Angevin government was more adaptive, and baronial cooperation more durable, than traditional narratives of oppression and revolt allow. Feudal Assessments and the Political Community under Henry II and His Sons thus illuminates the interplay of finance, lordship, and community in the making of the English polity, offering scholars a richly documented and revisionist account of medieval governance.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1983.