Life on a Mediaeval Barony A Picture of a Typical Feudal Community in the Thirteenth Century

"Life on a Mediaeval Barony" by William Stearns Davis is a historical account written in the early 20th century. The book explores the details of life in a typical feudal community during the thirteenth century, focusing on the barony of St. Aliquis and its various inhabitants. Through vivid descriptions, it brings to life the socio-political dynamics, customs, and daily activities that characterized medieval life, from the nobility down to the peasants. The opening of this work introduces the reader to the barony of St. Aliquis during the late reign of King Philip Augustus. The narrative sets the context by detailing the geographical and historical background of the region, emphasizing the peace around A.D. 1220, and framing the kingdom's socio-political structure, including the baronial hierarchy. It outlines the significance of the castle as a crucial institution in feudal society and introduces key figures such as Baron Conon, who serves as a representative of the noble class, and highlights the complex relationships between lords and their vassals amid the backdrop of medieval politics and culture. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Stearns Davis was an American educator, historian, and author. He has been cited as one who "contributed to history as a scholarly discipline,. .. [but] was intrigued by the human side of history, which, at the time, was neglected by the discipline." After first experimenting with short stories, he turned while still a college undergraduate to longer forms to relate, from an involved (fictional) character's view, a number of critical turns of history. This faculty for humanizing, even dramatizing, history characterized Davis' later academic and professional writings as well, making them particularly suitable for secondary and higher education during the first half of the twentieth century in a field which, according to one editor, had "lost the freshness and robustness. .. the congeniality" that should mark the study of history. Both Davis' fiction and non-fiction are found in public and academic libraries today.