Social networks and the foundations of oligarchy in medieval towns
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12276256 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David G Shaw (0000-0001-8914-2862, Wesleyan University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 200-222 |
| Publication date | 2005-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Urban History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0963-9268 • E-ISSN: 1469-8706 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s096392680500297x |
| OpenAlex | W2163680221 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
Although it is widely acknowledged that urban oligarchy pre-dominated across medieval England, oligarchy's foundations are only partly known. This article argues that part of oligarchy's success derived from close social interaction between oligarchs and the rest of the citizens. A case study of social networks and arbitration within the city of Wells demonstrates how the elite insinuated themselves into the town's social web, establishing and securing their influence and power. Moreover, such a social role brought the oligarchs together often and helped to define the elite. Such power encouraged a more benevolent form of oligarchy than later prevailed
Arbitration · Elite · Oligarchy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Sociology · Historical Economic and Social Studies · Law · Medieval Literature and History · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.29 |
| Citation span | 2012 - 2022 (11) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |