From Clovis to the Counts of Flanders : transformations in rural settlement in Western Flanders (ca. AD 450-AD 1000)

The Counts of Flanders were among the most powerful and respected medieval sovereigns in Western Europe, despite the rather humble size of the territory they controlled. A large population, a highly-productive agriculture and abundant cities with international trade connections are mostly cited as the reasons behind their economic, political and military success. However, how this triangulation came into being is still poorly understood. The roots of the count’s economic might lay in the Early Middle Ages, a period when certain transformations gradually shaped a structure which would determine... Mehr ...