Zu den Handlungsspielräumen „kleiner“ Fürsten. Ein neues Forschungsdesign am Beispiel der Herzöge von Pommern-Stolp (1372–1459)

Summary The “Scopes of Action” of “Small” Princes. A New Research Design Tested on the Dukes of Pommern-Stolp (1372–1459) Lately within medieval studies there has been an increased focus on “small” princes. These “small” princes represented the more extensive part of the so-called rank of Imperial princes, the other part of which was represented by important and very well researched dynasties such as the Habsburgs, Luxembourgers, the House of Wittelsbach, or the House of Hohenzollern. In these investigations scholars like to point out that the majority of “small” princes had been, in the best cases, of medium power, mostly of minimum power, and seemingly had almost no “scopes of action” within the imperial structure. This mostly unverified paradigm is now the subject of an innovative approach within political history, which understands politics as spaces of action and communication, in which processes of negotiation and decisions take place. Using such an approach this article will examine the little-know...