The modern state, however we conceive of it today, is based on a pattern that emerged in Europe in the period from 1100 to 1600. Inspired by a lifetime of teach

The modern state, however we conceive of it today, is based on a pattern that emerged in Europe in the period from 1100 to 1600. Written from the experience of

Nations are not trapped by their pasts, but events that happened hundreds or even thousands of years ago continue to exert huge influence on present-day politic

In this, the first comprehensive study of city-states in medieval Europe, Tom Scott analyzes reasons for cities' aquisitions of territory and how they were gove

Roman and barbarian precedents The growth of self-centered agriculture The take-off of the commerical revolution The uneven diffusion of commercialization Betwe