Medieval Frontiers: Concepts and Practices

In recent years, the 'medieval frontier' has been the subject of extensive research. But the term has been understood in many different ways: political boundaries; fuzzy lines across which trade, religions and ideas cross; attitudes to other peoples and their customs. This book draws attention to the differences between the medieval and modern understanding of frontiers, questioning the traditional use of the concepts of 'frontier' and 'frontier society'. It contributes to the understanding of physical boundaries as well as metaphorical and ideological frontiers, thus providing a background to present-day issues of political and cultural delimitation. The articles span Europe from the Baltic to Iberia, from the Canary Islands to central Europe, Byzantium and the Crusader states, and are preceded by an important introduction by David Abulafia.