Introduction: The Economics of Lordship in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Abstract This special issue focuses on the economics of lordship in pre-industrial Europe. In the introduction, we start by briefly defining lordship, focusing on both the economic power lords had to demand rents from their tenants and the political power lords exercised over banalities, allowing them to provide justice and protection in return for levies. We then focus on three key themes with which the articles in this issue are engaged, namely: lords, tenants and the struggle for rent; lords, institutions and economic development and finally, lords, commercialisation and capitalism. For each theme we briefly outline the scholarly debate and explore how our authors contribute to these discussions in the historiography. Overall, this collection of essays demonstrates that there is no consensus about the economic impacts of lordship, in terms of its consequences on peasant welfare, the creation of beneficial or extractive institutions, and their role in creating or inhibiting the development of commercialisation and capitalist economic structures. We suggest that future work should aim to grapple with the issue of comparison across regions, extending beyond western and central Europe, as well as across time, comparing the medieval and early modern periods. We should also consider alternatives to lordship in more detail, to better formulate the yardstick against which we compare the economic impacts of seigneurial activities.