Theorizing Medieval Geopolitics : War and World Order in the Age of the Crusades Paperback / softback

by Andrew Latham

Part of the Routledge Research in Medieval Studies series

Paperback / softback

Out of stock

Description

Over the past two decades or so, medieval geopolitics have come to occupy an increasingly prominent place in the collective imaginationâ€”and writingsâ€”of International Relations scholars.

Although these accounts differ significantly in terms of their respective analytical assumptions, theoretical concerns and scholarly contributions, they share at least one common â€“ arguably, defining â€“ element: a belief that a careful study of medieval geopolitics can help resolve a number of important debates surrounding the nature and dynamics of "international" relations.

There are however three generic weaknesses characterizing the extant literature: a general failure to examine the existing historiography of medieval geopolitics, an inadequate account of the material and ideational forces that create patterns of violent conflict in medieval Latin Christendom, and a failure to take seriously the role of "religion" in the geopolitical relations of medieval Latin Christendom. This book seeks to address these shortcomings by providing a theoretically guided and historically sensitive account of the geopolitical relations of medieval Latin Christendom.

It does this by developing a theoretically informed picture of medieval geopolitics, theorizing the medieval-to-modern transition in a new and fruitful way, and suggesting ways in which a systematic analysis of medieval geopolitical relations can actually help to illuminate a range of contemporary geopolitical phenomena.

Finally, it develops an historically sensitive conceptual framework for understanding geopolitical conflict and war more generally.