Affectionate Authorities

Situated at the intersection of social and cultural history, the study draws upon late-medieval and early-modern sources from the city of Basel, Switzerland in order to provide a nuanced view of concepts of fatherhood on the eve of the Reformation. It focuses on how people invoked ideas about fatherhood in the pursuit of various goals - not only the ideological agendas of scholarly elites, but also the more pragmatic problems of closing a business deal, claiming an inheritance, or choosing sides in a fistfight.

Philip Grace studied at Wheaton College, Keble College Oxford, Western Michigan University, and the University of Minnesota, where he completed his doctorate. He has taught classes in medieval and world history at Grand Valley State University and Arizona State University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of History at Texas Lutheran University.

The setting and sources: Basel around 1500. Fathers and guardians: fosterage and fatherly provision. Fathers and testators: inheritance and dowry as fatherly provision. Fathers and masters: vocational training as provision and education. Fathers and mothers: moral discipline and example. Fathers and tutors: fathers in competition with formal educators. Conclusion: harnessing fatherhood before and after the Reformation.