Elizabeth A. R. Brown
American historian (1932–2024)
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Elizabeth Atkinson Rash Brown (February 16, 1932 – August 8, 2024) was an American historian. She was professor emerita of history at Brooklyn College, of the City University of New York,[2] a scholar and published author, known for her writings on feudalism.
February 16, 1932
Radcliffe College (MA, PhD)
Elizabeth A. R. Brown | |
|---|---|
Brown in 2013 | |
| Born | Elizabeth Atkinson Rash Brown February 16, 1932 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | August 8, 2024 (aged 92) New York City , U.S. |
| Other names | Peggy Brown[1] |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Swarthmore College (BA) Radcliffe College (MA, PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | History |
| Institutions | Brooklyn College |
Main interests | Medieval History, Feudalism, French History, Philip the Fair, French Wars of Religion, Capetian France |
Notable works | "The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and Historians of Medieval Europe" |
Career
Brown received her B.A. from Swarthmore College and A.M. and PhD. from Radcliffe College and Harvard University. In 2009 Elizabeth A. R. Brown was elected the Second Vice-President of the Medieval Academy of America and in 2010–2011 served as its president.[3] She taught at Brooklyn College in New York for decades and taught at Yale and Berkeley after retiring.[4]
Brown first began publishing academic works in 1958, and wrote more than 130 articles and books in total. Much of her research focused on the Capetian dynasty in 13th- and 14th-century France.[1]
In her groundbreaking 1974 article "The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and Historians of Medieval Europe", Brown initiated an ongoing inconclusive discussion as to whether use of the term feudalism is a useful construct for understanding medieval society.[1][5] In her critique, Brown highlights the potential for constructs to influence research agendas and warns constructs that we use to analyze the past can be exclusive.[6]
In 1987, Brown was elected a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America (MAA). She later served as the president of the MAA in 2010–2011.[1]
Brown died on August 8, 2024, at the age of 92.[1][4] In 2024, she gave a bequest to the University of Pennsylvania Libraries (the Penn Libraries) to establish an archive to hold the papers of medieval historians – including her own collection – and to endow a curator to manage it.[7]
Works
Monographs
- Customary Aids And Royal Finance in Capetian France: The Marriage Aid of Philip the Fair; (Hardcover, Medieval Academy of Amer)
- ISBN 0-915651-00-9 (0-915651-00-9)
- "Franks, Burgundians, and Aquitanians" and the Royal Coronation Ceremony in France; (Diane Pub Co.)
- ISBN 0-87169-827-7 (0-87169-827-7)
- Jean Du Tillet and the French Wars of Religion: Five Tracts, 1562–1569; (Hardcover, Mrts)
- ISBN 0-86698-155-1 (0-86698-155-1)
- The Monarchy of Capetian France and Royal Ceremonial; (Hardcover, Variorum)
- ISBN 0-86078-279-4 (0-86078-279-4)
- Oxford Collection of the Drawings of Roger De Gaigni'Eres and the Royal Tombs of Saint-Denis; (Diane Pub. Co.
- ISBN 0-87169-785-8 (0-87169-785-8)
- Politics & Institutions in Capetian France; (Ashgate Pub. Co.)
- ISBN 0-86078-298-0 (0-86078-298-0)
Articles
- Brown, Elizabeth A. R. (January 1958). "The Cistercians in the Latin Empire of Constantinople and Greece, 1204–1276". Traditio. 14: 63–120. doi:10.1017/S0362152900010072. ISSN 0362-1529.
- "Taxation and Morality in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries: Conscience and Political Power and the Kings of France," French Historical Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Spring, 1973), pp. 1–28.
- Brown, Elizabeth A. R. (1974). "The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and Historians of Medieval Europe". The American Historical Review. 79 (4): 1063–1088. doi:10.2307/1869563. ISSN 0002-8762. JSTOR 1869563.
- "The Ceremonial of Royal Succession in Capetian France: The Funeral of Philip V," Speculum, Vol. 55, No. 2 (Apr. 1980), pp. 266–293.
- Brown, Elizabeth A.R. (December 1981). "Reform and resistance to royal authority in fourteenth-century France: The leagues of 1314–1315∗". Parliaments, Estates and Representation. 1 (2): 109–137. doi:10.1080/02606755.1981.9525590. ISSN 0260-6755.
- Brown, Elizabeth A. R. (July 1988). "The Political Repercussions of Family Ties in the Early Fourteenth Century: The Marriage of Edward II of England and Isabelle of France". Speculum. 63 (3): 573–595. doi:10.2307/2852635. JSTOR 2852635.
- "Authority, the Family, and the Dead in Late Medieval France," French Historical Studies, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Autumn, 1990), pp. 803–832.
- "Philip V, Charles IV, and the Jews of France: The Alleged Expulsion of 1322," Speculum, Vol. 66, No. 2 (Apr. 1991), pp. 294–329.