Medieval Roots of the Modern State: The Conditional Effects of Geopolitical Pressure on Early Modern State Building

Abstract

The modern state arose in Western Europe and was transplanted to European settler colonies. The question about why Western Europe developed high-capacity states bound by the rule of law remains a core concern of modern social science. Prior scholarship dealing with this issue has generally favored different variants of a war-and-state-making perspective. However, generalized geopolitical pressure does little to explain why the modern state arose in Europe and not in other historical multistate systems. This article argues that the European outcome was conditional on the prior existence of “medieval communalism,” that is, on strong norms and institutions of communal representation, based on units such as parishes and towns. It was due to these initial conditions that geopolitical pressure facilitated not only a strengthening of state capacity but also the development of checks on state power in the form of the rule of law. This argument is first theorized and then illustrated empirically using a number of examples from both within and beyond Europe. Against this backdrop, the implications for present-day state building are briefly discussed.

Parliamentary Constraints and Long‐Term Development: Evidence from the Duchy of Württemberg

“…It is therefore also important to further investigate the underlying circumstances that determine whether parliaments can activate the above mechanisms. Possible conditions could be a preexisting network of politically autonomous towns that can act as representatives and be part of state‐building efforts (e.g., Møller 2018; Tilly 1990) and inheritance norms that diminish the power of rulers (e.g., Kokkonen and Sundell 2014), which allow, for instance, towns to push for political influence during succession crises. Finally, the weak relationship between the Württemberg parliament and rural development indicates that the composition of representatives has consequences for the kind of economic activity that parliaments influence.…”

“…In exchange for state‐building support, estates form the foundation of the state's infrastructure, carrying out functions such as tax collection and adjudicating cases. Consequently, states that are dependent on parliament are more likely to deliver dependable public goods, which are not subject to the whims of the ruler (e.g., van Bavel 2015, 85; Møller 2018, 301; Reynolds 1984). This state‐building process was also visible in Württemberg.…”

The Medieval Constitution of Liberty

“…], artisanal weaponry, and administrative specialists were exchanged for clearly stipulated rights, freedoms, and immunities" (Downing 1989, 217; see also Rörig 1967, ch. 3;Reynolds 1997Reynolds , 2004Møller 2018). Starting with the charter granted to St. Omer in 1127, cities in the Low Countries were increasingly able to obtain charters that codified those rights, freedoms, and immunities , 123).…”

Tilly Goes to Church: The Religious and Medieval Roots of European State Fragmentation

“… 11 In a series of works, Møller (2015; 2017; 2018; 2019) emphasizes that modern legal institutions and parliamentary practices are rooted in the Middle Ages. Grzymala-Busse (2023) traces at the emulation and adoption of state institutions, such as courts, parliaments, and administrations. …”