Seigneurial predation in the late medieval feud.

This article critically reevaluates the late medieval German feud (Fehde) and lordship (Herrschaft) between 1300 and 1500, challenging the dominant "from-lordship-to-government" model of European state formation. It argues that predatory seigneurial violence, manifested through extractive practices such as plundering and levying tribute, persisted as a systemic feature linking feuding and lordship, rather than being superseded by centralized governance. The study highlights damage registers (Schadensverzeichnisse) as crucial archival evidence revealing the economic and violent realities of lordly feuding and resource extraction from rural communities, demonstrating that these practices formed a continuum of coercive domination. By integrating these findings, the article suggests a more complex interplay between aristocratic violence, lordship, and emerging governance structures in late medieval imperial lands, calling for a reconsideration of narratives that downplay the role of seigneurial violence in state formation.