Evaluate the interpretations in both of the two passages and explain which you think is
the more convincing explanation of the importance of Hubert Walter in English
government in the reign of Richard I (30)
The reign of Richard I, which lasted between 1189 and 1199, was heavily impacted by Richard’s absence as
he was only present in England for 6 months out of the 10 years he reigned. As a result of Richard being an
absentee king, he delegated heavily to Hubert Walter, appointing him as Archbishop of Canterbury,
Chancellor and Chief Justiciar, the three most influential and important roles in central government during
this time. Passage A in particular focuses on Hubert Walter’s role in central government, adopting the
more traditionalist view on Richard’s reign that Richard was not interested in central government and
instead Hubert Walter was “virtual ruler of England”. Passage B on the other hand takes a more revisionist
view, emphasising the partnership between Richard and Hubert and showing that Richard was still involved
in central government through Hubert Walter. This is clearly the stronger interpretation of the two as
passage A fails to acknowledge this communication and the role Richard did play in assisting Hubert Walter
in governing England.
Passage A focuses on the work of Hubert Walter, acknowledging that he “ranks supreme among the men
who have filled that exacting office” and it is clear that Richard delegated heavily to Hubert, appointing him
as Chief Justiciar, Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury, meaning that he was in control of both church
and state. Never before had so much power been given to an individual other than the King and passage A
acknowledges this and the idea that Hubert was “virtual ruler of England”. It is evident that Hubert did a
superb job at governing England “effectively and capably” and one of the ways this is seen in how he was
able to “preserve the peace”, as seen in the Eyre of 1194, which was a huge financial, administrative and
judicial investigation overseen by Hubert to ensure that the government was running smoothly. Hubert
also, as the passage suggests, was in charge of “collecting money and services from the King’s subjects”
and the fact that Richard had the money he needed shows that taxation was clearly collected effectively.
However, despite acknowledging the role Hubert Walter played in central government, passage A’s
argument is limited in that it fails to acknowledge the role Richard played. The author states that “Richard
left Hubert Walter largely to his own devices”, failing to acknowledge the vast amounts of communication
between the two. Whilst he was in Normandy, Richard sent letters to Hubert, showing that the two kept in
constant communication and Richard was heavily interested in how Hubert was ruling England.
PM: Clear introduction + shows your view well, Quotations are used, Good explanation, Shows limitations
of the passage, Usage of own knowledge
PF: Honestly I’m not sure – your answer is amazing so far :)
the more convincing explanation of the importance of Hubert Walter in English
government in the reign of Richard I (30)
The reign of Richard I, which lasted between 1189 and 1199, was heavily impacted by Richard’s absence as
he was only present in England for 6 months out of the 10 years he reigned. As a result of Richard being an
absentee king, he delegated heavily to Hubert Walter, appointing him as Archbishop of Canterbury,
Chancellor and Chief Justiciar, the three most influential and important roles in central government during
this time. Passage A in particular focuses on Hubert Walter’s role in central government, adopting the
more traditionalist view on Richard’s reign that Richard was not interested in central government and
instead Hubert Walter was “virtual ruler of England”. Passage B on the other hand takes a more revisionist
view, emphasising the partnership between Richard and Hubert and showing that Richard was still involved
in central government through Hubert Walter. This is clearly the stronger interpretation of the two as
passage A fails to acknowledge this communication and the role Richard did play in assisting Hubert Walter
in governing England.
Passage A focuses on the work of Hubert Walter, acknowledging that he “ranks supreme among the men
who have filled that exacting office” and it is clear that Richard delegated heavily to Hubert, appointing him
as Chief Justiciar, Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury, meaning that he was in control of both church
and state. Never before had so much power been given to an individual other than the King and passage A
acknowledges this and the idea that Hubert was “virtual ruler of England”. It is evident that Hubert did a
superb job at governing England “effectively and capably” and one of the ways this is seen in how he was
able to “preserve the peace”, as seen in the Eyre of 1194, which was a huge financial, administrative and
judicial investigation overseen by Hubert to ensure that the government was running smoothly. Hubert
also, as the passage suggests, was in charge of “collecting money and services from the King’s subjects”
and the fact that Richard had the money he needed shows that taxation was clearly collected effectively.
However, despite acknowledging the role Hubert Walter played in central government, passage A’s
argument is limited in that it fails to acknowledge the role Richard played. The author states that “Richard
left Hubert Walter largely to his own devices”, failing to acknowledge the vast amounts of communication
between the two. Whilst he was in Normandy, Richard sent letters to Hubert, showing that the two kept in
constant communication and Richard was heavily interested in how Hubert was ruling England.
PM: Clear introduction + shows your view well, Quotations are used, Good explanation, Shows limitations
of the passage, Usage of own knowledge
PF: Honestly I’m not sure – your answer is amazing so far :)
