Medieval Cities: Economic and Social History Reviews

Author: (Belgium) Henri Pirenne
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: This book is a significant work on medieval urban history by the Belgian historian Henri Pirenne. It was first published in the United States in English in 1925. The origins of medieval cities had attracted great attention from Western historians in the 19th and early 20th centuries, leading to the proposal of many theories, such as the "Roman City Theory," "Hereditary Lordship Theory," "Mark Theory," "Castle Theory," and "Market Theory." Henri Pirenne combined the "Castle Theory" and "Market Theory," proposing that cities were settlements of merchants around fortified locations—towns and castles—and established a unique viewpoint that had a significant influence.