The Formation Of A Persecuting Society: Power And Deviance In Western Europe, 950-1250 [Paperback]

R. I. Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 13, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0631171452 | ISBN-13: 978-0631171454

The Tenth to the Thirteenth centuries in Europe saw the appearance of popular heresy and the establishment of the inquisition; expropriation and mass murder of Jews; the foundation of leper hospitals in large numbers and the propagation of elaborate measures to segregate lepers from the healthy. These have traditionally been seen as distinct and separate developments, and explained in terms of the problems which their victims presented to medieval society. In this stimulating book Robert Moore argues that the coincidences in the treatment of these and other minority groups cannot be explained independently, and that all are part of a pattern of persecution which now appeared for the first time to make Europe become, as it has remained, a persecuting society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this brilliant account of medieval Europe ... it is a pleasure to read an account that is so obviously of importance for our own societies, yet is conceived in a full international context." Times Higher Education Supplement

"A fundamental work of historical sociology, as important in its way as the works of Georges Duby and Mark Bloch ... a courageous and wide-ranging thesis." M. T. Clanchy, Times Literary Supplement

From the Back Cover

The Tenth to the Thirteenth centuries in Europe saw the appearance of popular heresy and the establishment of the inquisition; expropriation and mass murder of Jews; the foundation of leper hospitals in large numbers and the propagation of elaborate measures to segregate lepers from the healthy. These have traditionally been seen as distinct and separate developments, and explained in terms of the problems which their victims presented to medieval society. In this stimulating book Robert Moore argues that the coincidences in the treatment of these and other minority groups cannot be explained independently, and that all are part of a pattern of persecution which now appeared for the first time to make Europe become, as it has remained, a persecuting society.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell (March 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631171452
• ISBN-13: 978-0631171454
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #674,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars useful overview, interesting and topical subject, August 19, 2002

By 

Willem Noe "scorpio-1" (Berlin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Formation Of A Persecuting Society: Power And Deviance In Western Europe, 950-1250 (Paperback)

Since i started to study European (Medieval and Renaissance) history, I got the distinct impression that intolerance, a fear of the other, although a human universal throughout world history, plays a particularly important role in European history. Prof. Moore gives a good overview or pulling together various sources on how this phenonemon reared its ugly head again, and especially toward what were deemed new heretical movements in Europe from the 11/12th century onward, after relative calm son that front since the 7th century or so.
Although he does not really offer altogether new insights or sources, which he himself freely admits, this is nevertheless an interesting and useful overview of the creation and treatment of various considered 'marginal' groups in society, such as heretics, lepers, Jews, homosexuals and prostitutes. He tries to explain why in this particular period heretical movements made their comeback, and why persecution started to become much more vigourous and vicious. It is an interesting question and he links it to a number of reasons such as the rise of the money economy that greatly upset existing social arrangements in that time. His main point however, and an interesting one, is that persecution did not necessarily reflect popular sentiment at all, but that to find cogent reasons one needs to look more to the persecutors rather than the persecuted. He states that persecution was the decision of princes and prelates for their own political reasons. This much reflects or coincides with Misha Glenny's observation on the persecutions in Balkan history that nearly each genocide has had the more or less active support of local governments. Also, the political use of disease is well documented elsewhere and so this did not add much new, but it was still good to read it here again.

The author does elaborate on this interesting conclusion, and it is indeed central to Moores' book, but I did miss a more specific or detailed discussion or explanation of why these princes and prelates indeed did think it to their political advantage to start perscution and build the elaborate machinery for this in these particular times. Another point that i would have liked to see discussed a bit more is whether these developments are uniquely European or could be found with as much roots in other societes in that time as well. For this the book is too short and leaves one wondering. Nevertheless, i do recommend the book as it deals succinctly with a very important subject that has obvious links with present Europe and elsewhere.

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exploring the rise of intolerance, May 27, 2000

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R. Lester (Lincoln, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Formation Of A Persecuting Society: Power And Deviance In Western Europe, 950-1250 (Paperback)

This book is an insightful, if brief, examination of the how and why behind the rise of intolerance and persution in the mid to late middle ages. Lots of books are written about one of the specific topics or groups Moore analyzes (lepers, Jews, homosexuals, people considered religious heretics, etc.) but Moore connects these various expressions of persecution to the historical context and the factors encouraging intolerance at particular times of European culture. Unlike many authors, Moore unpacks and questions assumptions about the inevitability of religious persecution and the creation and persecution of so-called heretical religious beliefs and behavior.

4.0 out of 5 stars A new perspective for me...and lessons for present times, October 27, 2011

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T.B. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Formation Of A Persecuting Society: Power And Deviance In Western Europe, 950-1250 (Paperback)

"In the early middle ages as in the later," writes R. I. Moore, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, "persecution began as a weapon in the competition for political influence, and was turned by the victors into an instrument for consolidating their power over society at large." Victims like heretics and Jews, he argues, "owed their persecution in the first place not to the hatred of the people but to the decision of princes or prelates." Accusations of witchcraft, for instance, first appear in the royal and ecclesiastical courts during political intrigues. Ambitious nobles and clerics charged their rivals as Satan worshippers. When confession under torture or trial by ordeal confirmed these charges, authorities executed the guilty and often transferred the titles, powers, and estates of the guilty to their accusers. In later centuries, authorities applied the legal precedents and institutions that developed from these proceedings against increasingly independent townsmen and restive peasants.

Moore makes important contributions to understanding medieval history and the rise of the national state in Europe. Violent power wielded against a "dangerous" few is legitimized and institutionalized, ready for later use against the many. Although Moore doesn't apply his historical thesis to later history or current times, his book should be of interest to political scientists, legal scholars, criminologists, sociologists, and historians, especially those studying the tragedies of the past century--or speculating on future events.

A caveat: I'm no expert on medieval history, but I am uncomfortable with the author's de-emphasis of the role of popular prejudice in these persecutions, particularly of European Jews. Contemporary history and social research indicate that popular hatred and inter-group rivalry facilitate official persecutions of minority and outcast groups. Spontaneous persecutions by the masses occur and have occurred without official sanction or support.