Family, Followers and Friends: the Socio-Political Dynamics of the Anglo-Norman Aristocracy, 1100-1204
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FAMILY, FOLLOWERS AND FRIENDS: THE SOCIO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF THE ANGLO-NORMAN ARISTOCRACY, 1100-1204 John P. Meddings EN., Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of PhD The University of Leeds School of History September 1998 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others ii ABSTRACT FAMILY, FOLLOWERS AND FRIENDS: THE SOCIO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF THE ANGLO-NORMAN ARISTOCRACY, 1100-1204 Three groups are examined: the family, followers and friends. The structure, functions and tensions of these groups are described and their dynamics analysed in the fields of decision making and conflict resolution. The approach offers a dialectic between Latin and French sources, historical and literary, and social science theories. This opens up new avenues for analysis and allows a holistic description of medieval politics and society. The family comprised parents and their children. Within this small unit affection was very strong; outside, it quickly declined. Although uncles and nephews had political links there was considerably less emotional attachment between them than between parent-child and sibling relationships. Three types of follower are examined: household retainers, enfeoffed tenants and 'neighbours'. Household knights had the strongest emotional bonds to their lord and were seen as the most loyal. Tenants who performed homage were called `men'; 'vassal' is shown to mean 'good follower'. An aristocrat exercised considerable control within his lands and beyond them he maintained some power. In these areas people may have obeyed his will without having any direct link with him. Such people were often called 'neighbours'. Informal influences such as love and fear are shown to have more force than the formal bonds created through homage and oaths. Concepts of 'treason' and 'defiance' are also examined. Five types of friendship are identified: friendship as courtesy, formal friendship, emotional friendship, company and companionship. Calling someone 'friend' was a sign of politeness. Political agreements, often termed covenants, created formal bonds of friendship. A new methodology for investigating emotional friendship is proposed. Groups with a strong identity were called companies. Companionship was a close bond, usually between two men, that combined elements of formal and emotional friendship. This description of the socio-political dynamics of the aristocracy offers an alternative to earlier models and greatly enhances our understanding of Anglo-Norman politics and society. iii CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS V PREFACE Vi ABBREVIATIONS Vii 1) INTRODUCTION 1 i) Historical Sources 6 ii) Using the Social Sciences 14 iii) The Notion of Loyalty 21 iv) Interpreting Love and Affection 24 2) FAMILY 32 i) Types of Relative: Feelings for the Dead 33 ii) Types of Relative: Feelings for the Living 37 iii) Types of Relative: Artificial Kinship 54 iv) Functions of the Family 57 v) Problems with the Family 62 3) FOLLOWERS AND SUPERIORS 68 i) Types of Follower: Household Followers 73 ii) Types of Follower: Enfeoffed Followers 78 iii) Types of Follower: Neighbours and Affinities 81 iv) Types of Superior: Lordship and Liege Lordship 95 v) Securing Followers: The Psychological Resources of Authority 100 vi) Securing Followers: Love and Fear 107 vii) Securing Followers: Homage and Oaths 115 viii) Functions of Followers 142 ix) Functions of Superiors 147 x) Problems with Followers: Treason 152 xi) Problems with Superiors: Defiance 163 iv 4) FRIENDS 176 i) Types of Friend: Courtesy 180 ii) Types of Friend: Formal Friendship 186 iii) Types of Friend: Emotional Friendship 198 iv) Types of Friend: Company 209 v) Types of Friend: Companionship 214 vi) Functions of Friends 225 vii) Problems with Friends 229 5) SOCIO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS IN ACTION 232 i) Decision Making 232 ii) Conflict Resolution 255 6) CONCLUSION 264 APPENDICES 284 i) Table: Prince-Aristocrat Agreements, 1135-55 284 ii) Table: Aristocratic Agreements, 1135-55 387 BIBLIOGRAPHY 290 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my two supervisors, the Reverend Professor David Crouch and Doctor Graham Loud, for their help, patience and encouragement over the years. Having joint supervisors has taught me much of the benefits and pitfalls of multiple lordship. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for all my misdemeanors and offer my gratitude for all that they have done. I would also like to thank Chris Lewis and Klaus van Eickels for their interest and the many stimulating conversations we have had. Rick Barton and Matthew Bennett have also contributed significantly to my knowledge of medieval social relationships. I have likewise benefited from exchanges with numerous colleagues at conferences: I thank you all. I would also like to thank three people who made me fall in love with the past. Firstly Michael Wood who originally inspired my love of History; running home from school to watch In Search of the Dark Ages is one of my earliest memories. And my A-level teachers, Alun Morgan and Jim Clark, who re-ignited it. Gratitude is also offered to my family and friends who have listened to me talking about medieval history for many years. Many thanks go to my mother for proof-reading the text. A particular debt must also be acknowledged to those who have helped me through their knowledge of languages and computers: Regine Windemuth, Matthew Thomas and Tracey Carr. But my warmest thanks goes to Susanne Albrecht for her strong encouragement, steady patience and knowledge of psychology. Without her my analysis would have been far poorer and the thesis would never have reached its final form. vi PREFACE The evidence presented in this thesis comes largely from two distinct types of source, agreements and literary texts. Many aspects of these agreements were discussed at greater length in my MA (1994), and secondary literature to each is discussed there in lengthier appendices. The reference system has been maintained: 1' means there may have been an agreement; "??' means that, although there were negotiations, the settlement was never concluded. Some changes have been made to the status accorded to each agreement. The word conventio has been used less extensively than in my MA as there are problems in defining what exactly a conventio is and whether this 'all' agreements can be called conventiones. Both the original and translations of literary texts have been used. This is regrettable as sometimes the translations are somewhat less than reliable. Because of comprehension difficulties, the works of Chretien de Troyes and Beroul were originally read through translation with the intention of later checking and converting the references into the Old French original. However, time constraints have meant this has largely been impossible. This is an acknowledged flaw. Where the precise, original phrase has been crucial to the argument, reference has been made to the line of the original text. This somewhat counteracts the problem but is still far from ideal. vii ABBREVIATIONS Anglo-Norman Studies ANS The Beauchamp Chartulaiy: Charters 1100-1268, ed. Beauchamp Emma Mason (Pipe Roll Society, new series, 43; 1983). Beroul Line references to Beroul, Le Roman de Tristan. Poeme du XII' siècle, ed. Ernest Muret (Paris, 1982); page references to The Romance of Tristan trans. Alan S. Fedrick (Harmondsworth, 1970). Chester The Charters of the Anglo-Norman Earls of Chester, c. 1071-1237, ed. Geoffrey Barraclough (Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, no. 126; 1988). Cliges Line references to Chretien de Troyes, CEuvres Completes, ed. Daniel Poirion (Edition Gallimard, 1994); page references to Arthurian Romances, trans. William W. Kibler (Harmondsworth, 1991). Dermot The Song of Dermot and Earl Richard Fitzgilbert. Le Chansun de Dermot e Ii Quens Ricard Fiz Gilbert, ed. Denis J. Conlon (Frankfurt am Main, 1992). Eerc et Enide Line references to Chretien de Troyes, CEuvres Completes, ed. Daniel Poirion (Edition Gallimard, 1994); page references to Arthurian Romances, trans. William W. Kibler (Harmondsworth, 1991). Fantosme Jordan Fantosme, Chronique de la Guerre entre les Anglais et les Ecossois en 1173 et 1174, in Chronicles of the Reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I, ed. R. Howlett, vol. 3 (Rolls Series, 1886). Glamorgancia Cartae et alia munimenta quae ad dominium de Glamorgancia pertinent, ed. G. T. Clark, vol. 1 (Cardiff, 1910). Gloucester Earldom of Gloucester Charters: The charters and scribes of the earls and countesses of Gloucester to A. D. 1217, ed. R. B. Patterson (Oxford, 1973). GS Gesta Stephani, ed. K. R. Potter, intro. R. H. C. Davis (Oxford, 1976). viii Hereford Z. N. and C. N. L. Brooke, 'Hereford Cathedral Dignitaries', Cambridge Historical Journal, 8, no. 3, p. 185. HGM Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal, ed. P. Meyer, 3 vols. (Socete de l'Histoire de France, 1891-1901). HN William of Malmesbury, The Historia Novella, ed. and trans. K. R. Potter (London, 1955). H of H Henry of Huntingdon, Historia Anglorum, ed. T. Arnold (Rolls Series, 1879). J of H John of Hexham, Historia, in Symeonis Monachi Opera Omnia, ed. T. Arnold, vol. 2 (Rolls Series, 1886). Lancelot Line references to Chretien de Troyes, ffuvres Completes, ed. Daniel Poirion (Edition Gallimard, 1994); page references to Arthurian Romances, trans. William W. Kibler (Harmondsworth, 1991). Le Carroi de Nimes Chanson de geste du XIIe siècle, ed. J.-L. Perrier (Paris, 1972). Le Couronnement Le Couronnement de Louis. Chanson de geste du XIIe de Louis siècle, ed. Ernest Langlois (Paris, 1969). Lib El Liber Eliensis, ed. E. 0. Blake, Royal Historical Society, Camden 3 series, 92 (1962). Morganniae Rice Merrick, Morganniae Archaiographia, ed. B. Ll. James (South Wales Record Society, I, 1983). Orderic Orderic Vitalis, Historia Ecclesiastica, ed. and trans. Marjorie Chibnall (Oxford, 1969-80). Perceval Line references to Chretien de Troyes, CEuvres Completes, ed. Daniel Poirion (Edition Gallimard, 1994); page references to Arthurian Romances, trans. William W. Kibler (Harmondsworth, 1991).