This book, first in a series of three, examines the social elites in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland, and which social, political and cultural resources went into their creation, through questions such as: Which types of resources were at play? How did the elites acquire and exchange resources?

Introduction 1. Changes in the Nordic Elites’ Way of Extracting a Surplus from Landed Resources 2. From Slavery to Tenant Farming: Elite Economies in the Nordic Area c. 1050-1250 3. The Early Introduction of the Moldboard Plow in Denmark: Agrarian Technology and the Medieval Elites 4. Inheritance and Transfer of Landed Property: The Material Fundament of the Elites 5. Silver, Land, Towns, and the Elites: Social and Legal Aspects of Silver in Scandinavia c. 850-1150 6. The Elites and Money 7. Customs and Toll in the Nordic Area c. 800-1300 8. Holding Royal Office and the Creation and Consolidation of the Elites in Scandinavia c. 1050-1250 9. The Social Elites and Incomes from Churches c. 1050-1250 10. The Icelandic Chieftains and Their Economic Foundation c. 1050-1250 11. Conclusion