ABSTRACT
The individual residents of Basel we will examine in detail moved through a world of immense complexity, daily navigating everything from rivalries with their neighbors to regional economic markets to imperial politics. This chapter argues that Basel provides a useful case study for reflecting broader ideas of fatherhood, due to its place in the larger intellectual context of Europe. While every locale has its own distinctive traits, Basel’s social and family structure is comparable to other late medieval urban settings. The chapter will also examine the different categories of sources used in the book, locating both the texts and their subjects in their original context.
