Debate. Was There a Medieval »State«?

This debate takes up the question whether the concept of »state« can be used meaningfully in the context of medieval studies. The opening article by Brent D. Shaw addresses the political organization of the Roman empire, and develops a comprehensive argument why even by high standards it should be regarded as a state. The six comments by Nicola Di Cosmo (Chinese History), Stefano Gasparri and Cristina La Rocca, Hans-Werner Goetz, Régine Le Jan (European Medieval History), John Haldon and Yannis Stouraitis (Byzantine History) draw on their own fields of expertise to provide theoretical and pragmatic views on the possible significance of the concept of state for political entities of Antiquity and the Middle Ages.