Peacemaking and the Restraint of Violence in High Medieval Europe

The High Middle Ages have been seen as an important point within the development of governmental and administrative bureaucracy, as well as a time in which there was frequent conflict. This volume addresses the methods by which violence was regulated and mitigated, and peaceful relations were re-established in high medieval Europe. By studying the restraint of violence and the imposition of peace, the chapters in this volume contribute to interdisciplinary discussions about the effects that violence had on medieval societies. The wide-ranging geographical scope of this volume invites comparisons to be made in relation to how violence was restrained, and peace established, in different settings.

The chapters in the first part of this volume address the issue of how violence was moderated and curbed during and following periods of conflict. The second part explores attempts to maintain peace and the processes which developed to deal with those viewed as having broken the peace. The final part of this volume explores the ways in which conflict was avoided through the maintenance of positive relationships between individuals and groups.

This book will be of interest to both academics and students interested in conflict, the restraint of violence, and peacemaking in medieval societies as well as those working on ritual and conflict resolution in any historical period.

Simon Lebouteiller holds a PhD in Medieval History and taught History and Scandinavian Studies at the Universities of Oslo and Sorbonne. He is currently an Associate Professor of Old Norse and Icelandic Studies at the University of Caen, Normandy, and a member of the research centre ERLIS (Équipe de Recherche sur les Littératures, les Imaginaires et les Sociétés). His research investigates peacemaking, rituals, political practices, and ideologies in medieval Scandinavia, as well as Norse historiography. He has also translated Icelandic sagas into French, such as Knýtlinga saga (La saga des rois de Danemark: Knýtlinga saga. Transl. Simon Lebouteiller. Toulouse: 2021).

Louisa Taylor is Lecturer in Medieval History at Aberystwyth University and Lecturer in History at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI). Her research explores elite culture and behaviour during conflict in high and late medieval Scandinavia, Iceland, England, Wales, and the Baltic region using comparative perspectives.