Noble Residential Town in Late Medieval Bohemia

In this publication, a noble residential town in the Middle Ages is viewed primarily as a social space – a stage for a wide range of ties and relationships between the nobility on the one hand and the urban community as a whole, its corporate bodies, and individuals on the other. The universal categories of order (ordo) and the common good (bonum commune) co-shaped the relationships between the nobility and the townspeople; the loyalty (fidelitas) of the subjects had its counterpart in the image of the “good nobility” caring for the subjects entrusted to them by God. This exploration of the environment of noble residential towns also reflects the forms and means of communication in medieval society and their nuances, as well as the ways in which the socially unequal partners sought a modus vivendi in their relationships.