We would badly misread the social conditions in the late European Middle Ages if we naively assumed that kingship and the papacy were the only or full authorities. Indeed, we witness massive changes within the social sphere, whether we think of the rise of cities, the emergence of universities, the criticism of the Church by many deviant groups, the unrest among the peasantry, and the intensifying debates among the genders. This highly complex phenomenon was also mirrored in contemporary literature (e.g., Will Langland, Johannes Tepl, or Christine de Pizan) and in many different narratives, whether fictional or more didactic and instructive. We cannot claim that democracy already took hold at that time, but we observe in various contexts the rise of strong communalism within cities or…
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Citation: Classen, Albrecht. "Francesc Eiximenis". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 May 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15226, accessed 23 November 2024.]
