Walter Ullmann (1910–1983)

This book contains three lectures on medieval politics. In the first the author presents the hierarchical "descending" theory of government where every individual's standing was based on his office and religious faith prescribed obedience. In the second he states that a very different, "ascending" tradition of political practice grew out of feudal social relations. He even goes so far as to suggest a direct link from feudal practices to the American declarations of rights and independence. This seems like a hasty leap in book format, but I suppose he was merely catering to his lecture audience. The final lecture focuses on the historical development of political thought in medieval times.

The author is to my knowledge the best authority on medieval government for general readers who don't have enough expertise to read very specialized works. He has a great skill for presenting convincing general conclusions without assuming too much prior knowledge. This short book nicely complements his more extensive work Principles of Government and Politics in the Middle Ages.… (meer)