State and Society in Medieval Europe. Gwynedd and Languedoc under Outside Rule.

In the thirteenth century, Languedoc was brought under French rule and Gwynedd in North Wales was conquered by the English. James B. Given shows that although Languedoc and Gwynedd were both integrated into larger political organizations that were in many ways similar, the different social, political, and economic structures of these regions guaranteed that they had very different experiences of rule by outsiders. His rigorous and creative comparative history contributes significantly to our understanding of the state-building process in medieval and early modern Europe.