The history of Church and government in England and on the continent of Europe between the eleventh and the early fourteenth centuries is the subject of this volume of essays by twelve historians including scholars as well known as C. N. L. Brooke, R. C. van Caenegem, R. Foreville, S. Kuttner and W. Ullmann. Each essay is concerned with a major historical text (such as Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain) or an important type of historical document (such as the writings of a famous civilian, Master Vacarius). The general theme of Church and government in the Middle Ages is illustrated through the eves of different types of officials - among them English royal justices, Norman bishops, and monastic archdeacons - as well of scholars and thinkers who also served the needs of government both lay and ecclesiastical - such as Gratian of Bologna and the hitherto neglected canon lawyer John Baconthorpe.

The two volume authoritative guide to the social teaching of the Catholic Church. This first volume covers the period from Genesis to Centesimus Annus - Biblical times to the late nineteenth century. There has been a social teaching in the Judaeo-Christian tradition from the beginning, and it has continued to develop in the Christian tradition through the social witness and teaching of the Church through to the present time. Here is the Christian experience from Apostolic times, through the witness of the early Church Fathers and then Christendom in the Middle Ages, and the periods of absolutisms, imperialisms and revolutions in the early modern and modern world down to the end of the nineteenth century. Rodger Charles, S.J. has been researching, lecturing and writing in London, Oxford and San Francisco for over forty years.

A richly illustrated history of military fortifications in ancient and medieval times. For over a thousand years, from the time of the Roman Empire to the classic period of castle-building in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, fortified sites played a key role in European warfare. This highly illustrated history gives a fascinating insight into their design and development and into the centuries of violence and conflict they were part of. The study traces the evolution of fortifications starting with those of the Romans and their successors. Included are the defenses erected to resist Islamic invasions and Viking raids and the castles built during outbreaks of warfare. As the authors demonstrate, castles and other fortifications were essential factors in military calculations and campaigns. They were of direct strategic and tactical importance wherever there was an attempt to take or hold territory. The factors that influenced their location, layout, and construction are analyzed in this fascinating book, as is the way in which they were adapted to meet the challenges of new tactics and weapons.

The study of welfare can illuminate debate about some of the grand themes in modern Italian history - the question of the success or failure of nation-building; the question of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the state; and the question of continuity and discontinuity from liberalism to fascism. It can also deepen understanding of one of the most pressing problems confronting historians of Italian fascism - the question of the actual impact of fascist rule on Italian society. Despite this, surprisingly few scholars have done any work on this important topic. This book aims to contribute to scholarship on the social history of modern Italy by examining welfare thinking and policies from the nineteenth century to the fascist period.

Why do countries differ so greatly in their patterns of political cleavage and coalition? Extending some basic findings of economic theories of international trade, Ronald Rogowski suggests a startling new answer. Testing his hypothesis chiefly against the evidence of the last century and a half, but extending it also to the ancient world and the sixteenth century, he finds a surprising degree of confirmation and some intriguing exceptions.