ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the medieval foundations of modern international relations. David Armitage's Foundations of Modern International Thought exemplifies the importance of foundations in attaining a proper understanding of contemporary international relations. The transition from medieval hierarchy to modern anarchy is discussed in the context of certain core problems, the most important being the relation of spiritual and secular authority, and the implications of fragmented feudal society. Medieval experience provides a backdrop against which to illuminate the novelty of the modern states-system and its attendant institutions and practices. It also provides a collection of evocative tropes that are employed in an engagement of speculative futurology. The identity of modern international political order that emerged out of the Reformation is stabilised with the help of the category 'feudalism'. This process of stabilisation is resolved in the ever-present contrast between medieval fragmentation and modern centralisation. Joseph Canning explores the relevance of late medieval jurisprudence to the development of modern international law.
