Overview
- Offers the first comparison between two small homogeneous German principalities, Jülich and Hesse-Cassel, and the large heterogeneous autonomous province of Brittany
- Argues for the significance of fatherland-terminology in the early modern legal and political debates, showing that in small principalities it was a prerequisite to keep communicating with power-seeking princes; noble families in large principalities had other means of upholding their position
- Draws on a vast amount of primary sources, uncovering a wealth of material that significantly expands the understanding of political language and debates
Part of the book series: Studies in the History of Law and Justice (SHLJ, volume 20)
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Table of contents (7 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Kingdom of France
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Front Matter
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Conclusion
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
About this book
This open access book presents a comparative analysis of the use of fatherland terminology in a political and legal context in Jülich, Hesse-Cassel and Brittany from 1642 to 1655. Fatherland terminology includes words such as patria, patriot and nation. In historiography, the use of these words by the nobility is often interpreted as an early sign of nationalism that conflicted with the prince’s initiation of state-building. The book argues that neither ‘states’ nor ‘nationalism’ truly existed yet; rather, the political arena was dominated by dynasties. Further, it rejects the notion of deliberate state-building and demonstrates that the nobility used this terminology to object to princely politics as part of adopting a “presupposed office.” This status allowed the nobility to place itself outside the ruler-subject constellation and critique the situation. The Duchy of Jülich and the Landgraviate of Hesse-Cassel are used as examples of small economies of scale with homogenous nobilities, and ones where the Thirty Year’s War hit hard – which led to the illegal levying of taxes and the billeting of soldiers, and in turn to the nobility critiquing princely politics. In contrast, the Duchy of Brittany, with its large economy of scale and heterogeneous nobility, found an alternative way of pursuing its interests and keeping taxes as low as possible. The goal of this book is to discuss and present three representative cases that offer insights into how the nobility safeguarded the welfare and prosperity of the fatherland and its inhabitants.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Protecting the Fatherland: Lawsuits and Political Debates in Jülich, Hesse-Cassel and Brittany (1642-1655)
Authors: Christel Annemieke Romein
Series Title: Studies in the History of Law and Justice
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74240-9
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Law and Criminology, Law and Criminology (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-74239-3Published: 09 October 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-74242-3Published: 09 October 2021
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-74240-9Published: 08 October 2021
Series ISSN: 2198-9842
Series E-ISSN: 2198-9850
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXIII, 218
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations, 10 illustrations in colour
Topics: Theories of Law, Philosophy of Law, Legal History, Legal History