Politics and Chivalry Flashcards
(56 cards)
What is the nature of political bodies after the fracturing of Charlemagne’s empire in 843 (and Treaty of Verdun)?
Lots of independent polities rather than kingdoms
1035, King of France’s direct dominion is Paris and just outside it
What is seen in 1000?
Multiplication of Castles
Count Raymond III of Rouerge built castle to submit locals to his lordship
How does/doesn’t power evolve in France and Germany?
France becomes more feudalistic, Germany doesn’t really change
What is a fief?
Land/castle and its dependencies (including people) granted to the vassal by a lord
What is the term used to describe a relationship of dependence and loyalty?
Vassalage
What had developed by 1100?
Most lords/owners of fiefs had title/land inherited by sons
Who was a liege lord?
The main person you pay homage/fealty to, you pay homage to more than one man
Give an example of how vassals can often be of equal rank?
The king of England held Normandy and Gasconny as vassal to the king of France
Who owned 1/3 of land in Europe?
The Church
Are peasants vassals?
Describe the nature of vassalage
No, they are subjects
Vassalage is an honourable contract exclusive to elites; peasants are not free to leave the land so fealty doesn’t matter
In the early medieval period, how influential was state power on day-to-day life?
90% of people experience power as lordship from local lord only
What is the main propagator for tax officers?
Cash tax means lords want accountability which leads to officers
When does Capetian France see significant benefits from reforming their tax system?
Introduction of new officers (bailli) by Phillip II in 1190’s
Payed wage to collect taxes rather than taking a cut, books are checked, get richer from it
Who describes Phillip II’s reign in 1190’s as his “decisive decade”?
John W. Baldwin
What is homage?
Vassal’s act of submission to his/her lord
What is a promise of fidelity to one’s lords?
Fealty
How couldn’t a king behave?
Unilaterally (without consultation)
Although kings were nobody’s vassal, what is important to remember?
There is no such thing as absolutism or the divine right of kings in the middle ages
If a king does not rule by divine right, what is the nature of his rulership in the eyes of God?
Being chosen by God means you have to act within particular limits (consultation, custom, law - they ‘have’ to obey)
Kings have responsibility more than anything else
How is the sacrility of the king symbolised?
Coronation and appointment
Role as ‘Protector of the church’
What becomes more common in kingship from the late 12thCE?
Sedentary kingship and the establishment of capitals
With the evolution of rulership from late 12thCE, what become some new features of governance?
- Firming up of borders and contiguous territorial kingdoms
- Chanceries
- Exchequers
- Judiciaries = (Towards end of period, pro administrators with specialised jobs)
Describe the nature of professional administrators towards the end of the period
- Often uni trained and non-aristocratic
- Tended to become a distinct social group (‘more royalist than kings’)
- King loses a bit of influence, crown could become a depersonalised abstraction
What are some of the key ‘virtues’ attached to a noble sense of ID?
- Prowess
- Wisdom
- Loyalty
- Fidelity
- Generosity
- Christian devotion
- Discretion
