Constructing a Civic Community in Late Medieval London: The Common Profit, Charity and Commemoration, by David Harry

Abstract

London is well established as a city embodying the pinnacle of medieval English urban development, in a league of its own compared to other English towns and cities, making it both an exemplar (then and now) and something of an anomaly. This status has also led the city to be the most studied of all England’s premodern urban centres, with the records of its administration and legal system, as well as its merchants and guilds and the fabric of the premodern city, providing the basis for a wide range of studies. Nevertheless, David Harry’s study of the political ideology of London’s governing elite sets itself apart from much of the existing work, and represents a considered and confidently constructed addition to the historiography for those already familiar with late medieval London. The central premise of Harry’s study is that the governing elite of late medieval London actively created their own...