Svenska städer i medeltidens Europa : En komparativ studie av stadsorganisation och politisk kultur

Sammanfattning: How did the Swedish towns compare to the surrounding world during the late Middle Ages concerning town organization and political culture? Previous research has claimed a strong German influence on the Swedish town life, but in this dissertation the Europeanization is being put forward as the explanatory factor for the extensive international similarities that can be identified during the Middle Ages. The towns were part of an international town culture that was highly integrated. Differences between towns are foremost analysed as a result of different local conditions such as population size, social structure and relationship to the town lord. Since preserved sources from all towns of medieval Sweden (including Finland) have been examined in a joint study and been placed in a wider context, the dissertation presents renewed and deepened knowledge about the Swedish towns. The study includes Danish, English and German towns and thus compares regions with each other that rarely have been compared before, and thereby presents new perspectives on each respective area. The aspects of the organization that are being systematically compared are the creation of councils, the number of aldermen and mayors, the rotation of offices and functions of the town lords, bailiffs, councils, mayors and chamberlains. Regarding political culture, it is investigated how the councils expressed their group cohesiveness and power in the town and how they defined the border between themselves and the town population. Furthermore, the expectations the town populations placed on the officials and their perception of their own part in the rule of the town is being examined. Finally, the political interaction between council and town population in different towns is compared and analysed.