Typological Characteristics of the Medieval City of Normandy and Its Functioning in the Political Space of the 14th — 15th Centuries

Abstract

The article analyzes attempts to compose a typology of the Normandy agglomerations of the Late Middle Ages, to highlight the main features of a “medieval city” (administrative, military, economic, religious functions; the presence of specific city law and autonomy, participation in public political activity). The voluntary nature of granting rights and privileges to the cities of Normandy by their lords is noted. The possibilities of attracting modern sociological indicators (number of inhabitants, population density, and area of agglomeration) to characterize and rank medieval cities are examined. Based on Normandy data, the article examines the problems of the lowest border of a medieval city, a “small” city, possible reasons for the loss of urban status by the agglomeration. It is noted that a “small” city presupposes the existence and inclusion in a hierarchical structure consisting of multi-level urban centres for fairly large areas of the kingdom. It emphasizes the relevance of studying medieval regional urban networks, urban topography using data from archaeological excavations, using GIS cartography to study places and spaces of power, the need for more attention to studying the role of a city lord (king, count, baron, bishop, chapter, monastery, several lords) in various areas of urban life (a feature of Normandy: in the 15th century, there is an almost complete change of secular lords of cities twice). A brief description of the attitude of the Lancaster regime to Norman cities is given: on the one hand, the confirmation of privileges, on the other hand, the placement of garrisons to control loyalty, the demolition of the fortifications of several cities as a potential threat, the redistribution of urban real estate, the encouragement of immigration from England, the re-population of some cities. As the reign of Louis XI (1461—1483) shows, the traditional paradigm of “perfect harmony” in the relationship of the crown with the urban community needs serious adjustment.