Elizabeth A. R. Brown

Elizabeth Atkinson Rash Brown (born February 16, 1932) is an American historian. She is professor emerita of history at Brooklyn College, of the City University of New York, a scholar and published author, known for her writings on feudalism. She 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.

With her groundbreaking article "The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and Historians of Medieval Europe" (1974) Brown initiated an ongoing inconclusive discussion as to whether use of the term feudalism is a useful construct for understanding medieval society. 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.

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

 * "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.
 * "The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and Historians of Medieval Europe," The American Historical Review, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Oct., 1974), pp. 1063-1088, at 1075-1076.
 * "The Ceremonial of Royal Succession in Capetian France: The Funeral of Philip V," Speculum, Vol. 55, No. 2 (Apr., 1980), pp. 266-293.
 * "The Political Repercussions of Family Ties in the Early Fourteenth Century: The Marriage of Edward II of England and Isabelle of France," Speculum, Vol. 63, No. 3 (Jul., 1988), pp. 573-595.
 * "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.