Work

Dominance within the ecclesia: the case of late medieval Portugal

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This article aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of a theoretical perspective. It argues that, in medieval society, the ecclesia, in its threefold sense (the community of the faithful, ecclesiastical hierarchies, and cult buildings) played a determinant role in organising different interlocked social relations. Thus, this role is critical to understanding the reproduction of dominant groups, whose organisation must be conceived through the ecclesia. This article is based on the Portuguese aristocracy. The historiographical production of the last few decades on different themes is synthesised and organised according to this theoretical perspective, seeking to highlight its operability and the paths it opens for a more grounded understanding of medieval social dynamics.

Source: Revista de História

DOI: 10.11606/issn.2316-9141.rh.2024.220827

Author: Miguel Aguiar

Institutions: Instituto de Estudos Medievais, Universidade Nova de Lisboa

Language: English

Topic: Medieval and Early Modern Iberia

Subfield: History

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Universidade do Porto, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, H2020 European Research Council

Awards: G4046065984, Instituto de Estudos Medievais, G4473689161, G6997658380, Entailing Perpetuity: Family, Power, Identity. The Social Agency of a Corporate Body (Southern Europe, 14th-17th Centuries)