Cities and the Rise of States in Europe, A.D. 1000 to 1800.

Abstract

These essays -- by internationally known scholars from the fields of history, law, archaeology, & political science -- examine the history of early modern city-state relations in Europe, from the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, showing that the variable distribution of cities significantly limited state formation, & that states developed differently according to the nature of urban networks in a given region. The range of issues includes commercial expansion in the Adriatric, the Ottoman Empire's hierarchy of cities, the interaction between state power & the organization of capital, the growth of German cities 1450-1650, reasons for the relative weakness of early Scandinavian municipal institutions & urban oligarchies, & the early Dutch Republic's contingent federation of city-states. The essays demonstrate that unilinear models of state transformation downplay the contingency & variability of popular & elite compliance with state-building processes. The book's 11 essays are particularly relevant for scholars interested in warfare, state power, sovereignty, & global social change. (1) Charles Tilly -- Entanglements of European Cities and States. (2) Giorgio Chittolini -- Cities, "City-States," and Regional States in North-Central Italy (see SA 38:3/90V6196). (3) Sergij Vilfan -- Towns and States at the Juncture of the Alps, the Adriatic, and Pannonia. (4) Traian Stoianovich -- Cities, Capital Accumulation, and the Ottoman Balkan Command Economy, 1500-1800. (5) Peter Moraw -- Cities and Citizenry as Factors of State Formation in the Roman-German Empire of the Late Middle Ages (see SA 38:3/90V5470). (6) Anders Andren -- State and Towns in the Middle Ages: The Scandinavian Experience (see SA 38:3/90V5444). (7) Andrzej Wyrobisz -- Power and Towns in the Polish Gentry Commonwealth: The Polish-Lithuanian State in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. (8) Pablo Fernandez Albaladejo -- Cities and the State in Spain (see SA 38:3/90V6193). (9) Antonio Manuel Hespanha -- Cities and the State in Portugal (see SA 38:3/90V6199). (10) Marjolein 't Hart -- Intercity Rivalries and the Making of the Dutch State. (11) Wim P. Blockmans -- Voracious States and Obstructing Cities: An Aspect of State Formation in Preindustrial Europe. Chpt Notes include references. 13 Tables, 6 Figures, 3 Maps. W. Howard