Medieval England and its realms
1. Medieval England from Conquest to the end of the 12C – in a nutshell
The Anglo-Normans: William 1 (1066-87); William Rufus (1087-1100); Henry 1 (1100-35); Stephen (1135-54)
The Plantagenets (to John): Henry 2 (1154-89); Richard 1 (1189-99); John (1199-1216)
1066 as a ‘rubicon’:
• Imposition of a new Norman landholding ruling class & suppression of initial rebellions ►relative security by 1071
• Domesday Book as first and decisive survey landholding; some continuity in Norman feudalism
• French the new language of court and government: Kings at this time were French speakers or better in French
• Continental situation preoccupied English kings; managing both realms was a problem – as was only managing only one.
• No fixed succession law (e.g. revolt 1088 after Wm Rufus succeeded to England & Robert to Normandy; John v. Arthur of Brittany)
• Problems whenever Eng & Norm separated: Barons might owe allegiance to two opposed lords
• Church/State battles over Gregorian Reform & secular powers: Gs sought to throw off secular control (e.g. WR & H1 v. Anselm;
H1 had to give up secular control of investiture of bishops to keep the Church [as a huge landowner] onside; H2 v. Becket)
Nature of medieval kingship
• Feudal overlord (homage from tenants-in-chief; fealty from subjects); dispensed land & patronage in return; settled legal disputes
• Two models: “Will” (above law - from St Augustine: J believed in this); or “Law” (subject to law & custom: Edward the Confessor)
• Importance of personality, military generalship, management & retention of lands on both sides of Channel
• Government mostly itinerant: Curia Regis (King’s court) travelled with him at home & abroad but having split territories meant
development of regents & delegation to key personnel depending on King’s location (GB, France or, under R1, Crusade)
• ‘Council’: inner group of barons bound to give advice; a ‘Great Council’ (Magnum Concilium) would be called in extraordinary
times but no trace of “parliament”.
• Familia was administration in the broadest sense, of friends (amici) as well as those in office (ministeriales)
• Fluid make-up of Court absorbing local law courts; widening out when local barons were present
• Kings were often in an uneasy relationship with a Church led from Rome, which had its jealously guarded rights.
Key significance throughout this period of Norman and wider French domains: frontier disputes & family
quarrels; any king who only held one of the territories (or lost part of the “empire”) was potentially in trouble...
• W1: Philip 1st of France & Fulk of Anjou feared W1’s new power & eldest son Robert of Normandy intrigued against him
• WR: crushed rebellion when two lands were separated then won back Norm & took Maine & Vexin when RoN went on 1st Crusade
• H1: moved quickly to seize throne on WR’s death & thwarted RoN’s invasion (1100)
o Captured RoN (1106), then main was preoccupation defence of Norm against his son Wm Clito (plus France & Anjou); ►long
absences, high taxes & admin advances as vice-regal committee ruled in his absence.
o Death of H1’s heir ►succession crisis & rejuvenated claim of Wm Clito (now powerful Count of wealthy Flanders)
o ►H1 married daughter Matilda to Fulk of Anjou’s son Geoffrey Plantagenet (1128), later quarrelling with both.
o Loyal magnates opposed Angevin succession
• Stephen: (of Blois) seized throne on H1’s death; initially strong position: Anglo-Norman barons’ opposed Angevins & Stephen
meant allegiance to only one king but ►years of civil war as Matilda & GP struggled for the throne.
o Growing resistance within Eng after defection of Robert of Gloucester & S’s alienation of powerful churchmen.
o After S’s defeat at Lincoln Matilda failed to take London but GP fought to become (Angevin) Duke of Norm, was recognised by
Louis 7 of France & by his death left both Norm & Anjou to his son Henry (later H2)
o 1152: Henry married L7’s ex-wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (adding Aquitaine to Normandy & Anjou); despite also fighting Fra
he invaded Eng where, after death of S’s son Eustace, barons brokered deal making H king on S’s death.
• H2: the first Plantagenet King: first undisputed English succession since Saxons; high point of Anglo-French empire
• Restored Cumberland, Westmorland & Northumbria to Eng, deferred Welsh colonisation; began colonisation of Ireland (1172)
• Spent 21/34 years of reign on continent; Becket controversy (murdered 1170).
• Planned partition of lands between sons in age order: 1. Henry (Anjou, Normandy, England) but died; 2. Richard (Aquitaine); 3.
Geoffrey (Brittany) but died; 4. John (nought, then Ireland)
• After death of H & G, J not R was H2’s favourite; R allied with Fra’s ambitious Philip 2nd & claimed throne; J retained Ireland
• R1: Again spent most of reign on continent (as Duke of Aquitaine) or on 3rd Crusade 1190-94
o Financed Crusade by peace with Scotland (accepting its independence in Quit-claim of Canterbury, selling lands & honours,
fining officials & seizing estates.
o Left John large Eng estates with expectation he maintain peace & stability (but see below)
o R was imprisoned & ransomed (£64k) by German Emperor Henry 4th & Duke Leopold of Austria while returning from Crusade,
during which PoF – who had been conspiring with John (see below) – overran Vexin & parts of Norm
o Recaptured lost lands in campaigns against P2 (if at great cost) but premature death in 1199 with no legitimate heirs
o Big Q: did absence bequeath John financial problems, not least cost of Crusade, ransom, re-conquest & castle-building?
John before becoming King:
• 1192: with R on Crusade & as ever bent on breaking up the Angevin empire, J sought & P2 offered J all Angevin lands in
France ►EoA crossing to dissuade J & persuade him to stay in Eng
• When R’s imprisonment known, J did homage in Paris for all R’s lands incl. Norm then failed to stir rebellion in Eng
• J offered H4 £1kpm or £100k either to keep him a year or give him up. H4 refused (had R hand Eng over as fief + £5kpa).
• On R’s release, Royal Council declared J’s estates forfeit & he was excommunicated
• On R’s return, J apologised & R forgave him (later J assisting R in recapturing lands lost to P2)
• On R’s death, different parts of Angevin Empire chose different successors:
o England & Normandy: John (declared heir by R on his deathbed)
o Anjou, Maine, Touraine: Arthur of Brittany: legitimate (son of R’s elder brother, Geoffrey); supported by P2; but aged 12
o Aquitaine: held by EoA (J’s mother) on his behalf after she did homage to P2 then ceded it to J who returned it to her to rule
for her lifetime – guaranteeing J’s authority & denying P2 an excuse to intervene while EoA lived (she died in 1204)
• J won over sufficient nobles through agreeing to address old grievances to secure both Eng & Norm
1. Medieval England from Conquest to the end of the 12C – in a nutshell
The Anglo-Normans: William 1 (1066-87); William Rufus (1087-1100); Henry 1 (1100-35); Stephen (1135-54)
The Plantagenets (to John): Henry 2 (1154-89); Richard 1 (1189-99); John (1199-1216)
1066 as a ‘rubicon’:
• Imposition of a new Norman landholding ruling class & suppression of initial rebellions ►relative security by 1071
• Domesday Book as first and decisive survey landholding; some continuity in Norman feudalism
• French the new language of court and government: Kings at this time were French speakers or better in French
• Continental situation preoccupied English kings; managing both realms was a problem – as was only managing only one.
• No fixed succession law (e.g. revolt 1088 after Wm Rufus succeeded to England & Robert to Normandy; John v. Arthur of Brittany)
• Problems whenever Eng & Norm separated: Barons might owe allegiance to two opposed lords
• Church/State battles over Gregorian Reform & secular powers: Gs sought to throw off secular control (e.g. WR & H1 v. Anselm;
H1 had to give up secular control of investiture of bishops to keep the Church [as a huge landowner] onside; H2 v. Becket)
Nature of medieval kingship
• Feudal overlord (homage from tenants-in-chief; fealty from subjects); dispensed land & patronage in return; settled legal disputes
• Two models: “Will” (above law - from St Augustine: J believed in this); or “Law” (subject to law & custom: Edward the Confessor)
• Importance of personality, military generalship, management & retention of lands on both sides of Channel
• Government mostly itinerant: Curia Regis (King’s court) travelled with him at home & abroad but having split territories meant
development of regents & delegation to key personnel depending on King’s location (GB, France or, under R1, Crusade)
• ‘Council’: inner group of barons bound to give advice; a ‘Great Council’ (Magnum Concilium) would be called in extraordinary
times but no trace of “parliament”.
• Familia was administration in the broadest sense, of friends (amici) as well as those in office (ministeriales)
• Fluid make-up of Court absorbing local law courts; widening out when local barons were present
• Kings were often in an uneasy relationship with a Church led from Rome, which had its jealously guarded rights.
Key significance throughout this period of Norman and wider French domains: frontier disputes & family
quarrels; any king who only held one of the territories (or lost part of the “empire”) was potentially in trouble...
• W1: Philip 1st of France & Fulk of Anjou feared W1’s new power & eldest son Robert of Normandy intrigued against him
• WR: crushed rebellion when two lands were separated then won back Norm & took Maine & Vexin when RoN went on 1st Crusade
• H1: moved quickly to seize throne on WR’s death & thwarted RoN’s invasion (1100)
o Captured RoN (1106), then main was preoccupation defence of Norm against his son Wm Clito (plus France & Anjou); ►long
absences, high taxes & admin advances as vice-regal committee ruled in his absence.
o Death of H1’s heir ►succession crisis & rejuvenated claim of Wm Clito (now powerful Count of wealthy Flanders)
o ►H1 married daughter Matilda to Fulk of Anjou’s son Geoffrey Plantagenet (1128), later quarrelling with both.
o Loyal magnates opposed Angevin succession
• Stephen: (of Blois) seized throne on H1’s death; initially strong position: Anglo-Norman barons’ opposed Angevins & Stephen
meant allegiance to only one king but ►years of civil war as Matilda & GP struggled for the throne.
o Growing resistance within Eng after defection of Robert of Gloucester & S’s alienation of powerful churchmen.
o After S’s defeat at Lincoln Matilda failed to take London but GP fought to become (Angevin) Duke of Norm, was recognised by
Louis 7 of France & by his death left both Norm & Anjou to his son Henry (later H2)
o 1152: Henry married L7’s ex-wife Eleanor of Aquitaine (adding Aquitaine to Normandy & Anjou); despite also fighting Fra
he invaded Eng where, after death of S’s son Eustace, barons brokered deal making H king on S’s death.
• H2: the first Plantagenet King: first undisputed English succession since Saxons; high point of Anglo-French empire
• Restored Cumberland, Westmorland & Northumbria to Eng, deferred Welsh colonisation; began colonisation of Ireland (1172)
• Spent 21/34 years of reign on continent; Becket controversy (murdered 1170).
• Planned partition of lands between sons in age order: 1. Henry (Anjou, Normandy, England) but died; 2. Richard (Aquitaine); 3.
Geoffrey (Brittany) but died; 4. John (nought, then Ireland)
• After death of H & G, J not R was H2’s favourite; R allied with Fra’s ambitious Philip 2nd & claimed throne; J retained Ireland
• R1: Again spent most of reign on continent (as Duke of Aquitaine) or on 3rd Crusade 1190-94
o Financed Crusade by peace with Scotland (accepting its independence in Quit-claim of Canterbury, selling lands & honours,
fining officials & seizing estates.
o Left John large Eng estates with expectation he maintain peace & stability (but see below)
o R was imprisoned & ransomed (£64k) by German Emperor Henry 4th & Duke Leopold of Austria while returning from Crusade,
during which PoF – who had been conspiring with John (see below) – overran Vexin & parts of Norm
o Recaptured lost lands in campaigns against P2 (if at great cost) but premature death in 1199 with no legitimate heirs
o Big Q: did absence bequeath John financial problems, not least cost of Crusade, ransom, re-conquest & castle-building?
John before becoming King:
• 1192: with R on Crusade & as ever bent on breaking up the Angevin empire, J sought & P2 offered J all Angevin lands in
France ►EoA crossing to dissuade J & persuade him to stay in Eng
• When R’s imprisonment known, J did homage in Paris for all R’s lands incl. Norm then failed to stir rebellion in Eng
• J offered H4 £1kpm or £100k either to keep him a year or give him up. H4 refused (had R hand Eng over as fief + £5kpa).
• On R’s release, Royal Council declared J’s estates forfeit & he was excommunicated
• On R’s return, J apologised & R forgave him (later J assisting R in recapturing lands lost to P2)
• On R’s death, different parts of Angevin Empire chose different successors:
o England & Normandy: John (declared heir by R on his deathbed)
o Anjou, Maine, Touraine: Arthur of Brittany: legitimate (son of R’s elder brother, Geoffrey); supported by P2; but aged 12
o Aquitaine: held by EoA (J’s mother) on his behalf after she did homage to P2 then ceded it to J who returned it to her to rule
for her lifetime – guaranteeing J’s authority & denying P2 an excuse to intervene while EoA lived (she died in 1204)
• J won over sufficient nobles through agreeing to address old grievances to secure both Eng & Norm
