The Commercialisation of English Society 1000-1500

The Commercialisation of English Society 1000-1500
by: R. H. Britnell (Author)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Edition: 1st
Publication Date: 2009/7/30
Language: English
Print Length: 300 pages
ISBN-10: 0521141451
ISBN-13: 9780521141451
Book Description
The Commercialisation of English Society offers an interpretation of social and economic change in England over five centuries. By 1500 English livelihoods depended more upon money and commercial transactions than ever before; the institutional framework of markets had been transformed and urban development was more pronounced. These changes were not, however, caused by any unilinear development of population, output or money supply. This pioneering study examines both institutional and economic transformation and the social changes that resulted and stresses the limited importance of formal trading institutions for the development of local trade. Commercial transition is throughout analysed from a broader perspective that looks at the changing power relations within medieval society (which might loosely be described as feudal) and considers how these relations were affected by such commercial development.
About the Author
The Commercialisation of English Society offers an interpretation of social and economic change in England over five centuries. By 1500 English livelihoods depended more upon money and commercial transactions than ever before; the institutional framework of markets had been transformed and urban development was more pronounced. These changes were not, however, caused by any unilinear development of population, output or money supply. This pioneering study examines both institutional and economic transformation and the social changes that resulted and stresses the limited importance of formal trading institutions for the development of local trade. Commercial transition is throughout analysed from a broader perspective that looks at the changing power relations within medieval society (which might loosely be described as feudal) and considers how these relations were affected by such commercial development. Read more