Corruption, Protection and Justice in Medieval Europe
A Thousand-Year History
Published on 25. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
438 pages
978-1-009-07471-1 (ISBN)
Description
What was an "advocate" (Latin: advocatus; German: Vogt) in the Middle Ages? What responsibilities came with the position and how did they change over time? With this groundbreaking study, Jonathan R. Lyon challenges the standard narrative of a "medieval" Europe of feudalism and lordship being replaced by a "modern" Europe of government, bureaucracy and the state. By focusing on the position of advocate, he argues for continuity in corrupt practices of justice and protection between 750 and 1800. This book traces the development of the role of church advocate from the Carolingian period onward and explains why this position became associated with the violent abuse of power on churches' estates. When other types of advocates became common in and around Germany after 1250, including territorial and urban advocates, they were not officeholders in developing bureaucracies. Instead, they used similar practices to church advocates to profit illicitly from their positions, which calls into question scholarly arguments about the decline of violent lordship and the rise of governmental accountability in European history.
Reviews / Votes
'In this big, important book, Jonathan Lyon dissolves the distinction between the bad old days of the feudal order and the modern forms of governance that supposedly replaced them. The heterogenous realms of the German-speaking lands take center stage in a new political narrative fit for the 21st century.' Daniel Lord Smail, Harvard University 'As impressive in its chronological range as it is penetrating in its observations and thought-provoking in its conclusions, Jonathan Lyon's book will be required reading for anyone interested in how the exercise of power worked on the ground: in the localities, towns and villages of medieval and early modern Europe. A remarkable achievement and a pleasure to read!' Bjoern Weiler, Aberystwyth University '... the author has succeeded in writing an understandable and pleasant (sometimes even enjoyable) introduction for newcomers to read, while at the same time giving experts material for further reflection.' Roman Deutinger, H-Soz-Kult '... Jonathan Lyon's book can undoubtedly be seen as a useful and important study on the bailiwick, not least because it focuses on the entire temporal development and numerous related facets in a very rich, critical and innovative way.' Roman Zehetmayer, MIOEGMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Edition type
New edition
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
581 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-07471-1 (9781009074711)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
11/2022
Cambridge University Press
€36.99
Available for download
Person
Jonathan R. Lyon is Professor of History at the University of Chicago, where he specializes in the history of the Holy Roman Empire. He has previously held fellowships from the Humboldt Foundation and the Austrian Science Fund. He is the author of Princely Brothers and Sisters: The Sibling Bond in German Politics, 1100-1250 (2013), which won the 2017 John Nicholas Brown Prize from the Medieval Academy of America, and Noble Society: Five Lives from Twelfth-Century Germany (2017).
Content
Introduction; 1. The First 'Medieval' Advocates; 2. Putting Down Roots in Ninth-Century Francia; 3. The 'Aristocratization' of Post-Carolingian Advocacy; 4. Elite Competition at the Turn of the First Millennium; 5. The Limits of Church Reform; 6. Pigs and Sheep, Beer and Wine, Pennies and Pounds; 7. A History of Violence; 8. Weapons of the Not-so-Weak; 9. The Murder of Archbishop Engelbert; 10. Widening the Lens; 11. The Emperor as Vogt, ca. 1000-1500; 12. From Lordship to Government?; 13. Reframing the History of Violence; 14. Crossing the False Divide: Advocates after 1500; 15. A Cultural History of the Rapacious Advocate, or: William Tell's Revenge; Conclusion.