This is a comparative study of the role of English and French towns in
feudal society in the middle ages. In bringing together much material
which dissolves old categories and simplifications in the study of
medieval towns, Professor Hilton provides an important new perspective
on medieval society and on the nature of feudalism. He argues that
medieval towns were not, as is often thought, the harbingers of
capitalism, and emphasises the way in which urban social structures
fitted into, rather than challenged, feudalism.