Originally published in 1958 and as a third edition in 1971, this comprehensive account of political thought in the Middle Ages presents medieval thinking against the historical background which animated it. The main emphasis is on the currents of thought and action in which individuals and institutions played their part and the central theme is the growth of the conception of a religious-political commonwealth and its gradual replacement by the idea of the State.

John B. Morrall was Senior Lecturer in Political Science at the LSE.