#meng (2023): ‘History shows that if we seek to elaborate on the reciprocity and even equality of the feudal contract | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

6ebe · 1 year ago

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whenever I see asoiaf fans pulling out “the feudal contract” as some kind of gotcha power move abt anything I can’t help but laugh. Social contract theory as we know it was first elucidated by freaking hobbes during the English civil war no one during the war of the roses period was sitting around ruminating abt social contract theory. It didn’t exist 🤣🤣

#they treat it like some kind of binding law #these fans are so silly abt history AND politics #don’t get me wrong the ‘feudal contract’ existed although it’s mostly a modern term superimposed onto a historical phenomena #but the idea of contract theory in the sense that we understand it didn’t exist at that time #the idea that If the contract is broken the ruler is illegitimate and you have the right to rebel against them #that’s hobbes #also I just went and read a journal abt the feudal contract in Medieval English #England *#and even WITH a literal feudal contract (the magna carta) monarchs still didn’t ascribe to any real kind of meaningful #contract with their vassals . bc the body politic imagery didn’t yet exist #wait let me quote #meng (2023): ‘History shows that if we seek to elaborate on the reciprocity and even equality of the feudal contract #from the perspective of modern social contract theory and thus exaggerate the nobles’ right to resist the king #we will inevitably construct a mythical “feudal contract determinism.”#lol #<- I don’t even do medieval history anymore I just could tell it was a Bs argument so went to back my gut feeling up lol #maybe I should make a post abt this on r/asoiaf like it’s such a pet peeve of mine atp snshdjdkf

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