<p>They were, in the words of one contemporary observer, "the Promised Lands." In all of Europe, only Northern Italy could rival the economic power and cultural wealth of the Low Countries in the later Middle Ages.<br /><br />In <i>The Promised Lands</i>, Wim Blockmans and Walter Prevenier trace the relations between the cultural and economic developments of the Low Countries and the political evolution of the region under the rule of the dukes of Burgundy. Combining political, diplomatic, administrative, economic, social, artistic, and cultural history, Blockmans and Prevenier have synthesized the most recent research on the subject&mdash;much of it their own&mdash;to produce the most accessible and authoritative book in English on the subject.<br /><br />This is an updated and revised translation of a classic work first published in 1988, now expanded and reoriented toward a broader international readership.</p>