{"product_id":"visions-of-hierarchy-and-inequality-in-early-medieval-england","title":"Visions of Hierarchy and Inequality in Early Medieval England","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis Element examines the sociopolitical hierarchy of England in the tenth and eleventh centuries, focusing upon the plasticity of the boundary between the ranks of ceorl and thegn. Offering a nuanced analysis of terms such as ceorl and thegn in both earlymedieval texts and modern scholarship, the Element highlights the mechanisms that allowed these non-institutional signifiers to hold such socialweight while conferring few tangible benefits. To better describe the relative social positions, the author argues that a compound method is preferable, supporting this proposal via a thorough deconstruction of writings by Archbishop Wulfstan II of York − responsible for many of scholars' ideas about rank in the period − and the examination of sources that evidence a blurring of 'middling' social boundaries across the two centuries under discussion. Together, these strands of interrogation allow for a fuller understanding of how status was constructed in earlymedieval England.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press Bookshop","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56668771123586,"sku":"9781009308366","price":18.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0475\/2031\/7597\/files\/9781009308366i.jpg?v=1779630978","url":"https:\/\/www.cambridgebookshop.co.uk\/products\/visions-of-hierarchy-and-inequality-in-early-medieval-england","provider":"Cambridge University Press Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}