Introduction

In this second volume of the Nordic Elites in Transformation, c. 1050–1250 series, the aim is to analyze how Nordic elites applied various forms of social resources – bonds of family, friendship, lordship, royal and ecclesiastical offices, etc. – in the ongoing processes of creating and competing for dominant positions in society. How were such networks of personal relations established, maintained, perceived, represented, challenged, or transformed, and first of all: How did people from the Nordic elites make use of such bonds in actual practice? In the introductory chapter the editors discuss the analytical concept of “elite” and outline the book’s geographical scope, its focus on both structure and process, both change and continuity.