Konflikter, konfliktmønstre og skriftlighet

The aim of the article is to discuss the nature and development of a political culture based on the concepts of ritual, mutuality and trust. The development of a more restricted, but also more predictable political culture is linked to the emergence of a popular literacy. The main aim is to look at the development in Norway c. 1300–1600 in a European context. The article maps the stages of popular resistance, from causes via legal and illegal forms of activism, to the aftermath and restauration of order. The article argues that these conflicts follow established patterns, and that the last stage is a stage of negotiations dressed as a ritual of re-establishing mutual trust. Finally, it is argued that the development of a popular, if limited, literacy in the late medieval period narrows the political “space” for both subjects and rulers, and thus increases a common understanding and acceptance of a set of political “rules”