Politics and Chivalry Flashcards
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
How does honour play into medieval aristocracy?
Particular to (male) sense of self
What is important to keep in mind when considering the values of the aristocracy?
It is the ethos of a warrior aristocracy
Think how virtues fit into the context of war, dependence and vassalage
What are the three main columns of medieval society?
- Labourtories = Those who labour (farm)
- Oratories = Those who pray
- Boletouries = Those who fight
Who are milites Christi and what is their function?
Knights of Christ
Used in any context for the church (not just eastern crusades) - an effort to harness violence
Why was dubbing important?
Part of the ritual
How does knighthood and chivalry grow/fall by the 14th/15thCE?
Less than half of French nobles are dubbed, but chivalry becomes more prevalent and important
What does Richard W. Kaeuper say about chivalry?
“[Chivalry] could only function as a most ambivalent force for peace because it was so complicit in the violence that troubled a developing society”
What is difficult about ruling the geographical area of Germany?
big complex geographical area where no one kingship style is gonna work everywhere
How was the Holy Roman Empire divided in 1254?
Germany only one part, 3 main kingdoms:
- Kingdom of Romans (most of modern Germany)
- Kingdom of the Lombards (N. Italy)
- Kingdom of Arles (Provence/Burgundy)
What two mains differences did Germany have with the rest of Europe?
- Middle nobility not aloud to marry (or even dance with) anyone of a lower class
- Castles remained important, even after 1400
How did German bishops function?
‘Prince’ bishops
Act like secular princes, internationally recognised and insanely rich
What was one step in the process of becoming emperor and how did this reflect the reality of it?
Electoral kingship (was meant to be) No defined process of election
Who tried to make kingship in Germany hereditary?
Henry VI but didn’t cos of preparation for crusade
After the death of Frederick, who were the electors of kings?
- Bishops of Mainz, Trier and Cologne (Cologne anoints king of Romans)
- King of Burgundy
- Count of Palatine
- Count of Bradenburg
What was a German ambition that continued throughout history?
Drang nach Osten (push to the east)
What was the Donation of Constantine?
9thCE forgery of a 4thCE document giving the Western Roman Empire to the pope to dispose of as he wishes
One reason the emperor is crowned by the pope (for Charlemagne too/why he forged it)
How did tax work in Germany?
Emperor had few tax rights, only roads, gates and hospitality
Had to pay armies off of own back
How did tax influence the behaviour of Emperors?
Always itinerant, don’t need to pay for themselves cos of duty of counts to host
Also constantly having to keep things in order
Who was set to inherit the kingdom of Sicily which the papacy didn’t like
Frederick II (from mum Constance)
Why did most Emperors get crowned in Rome?
Difficulty of crossing the alps and leaving Germany unattended for a long time - where most problems arise
Who were ministeriales?
Unfree nobles who served the emperor
Who were the Welf/Guelf?
An important noble family in the NW and Rhine region
Name of pro-papal factions in Italian towns
Who were the Ghibelline
Name of Pro-imperial factions in Italian towns
What causes political fragmentation in Germany?
Lots of local law codes
What Henry V try do in 1103?
Introduce peace laws in certain regions, princes are supposed to enforce it
What was the conventional format for bringing lords in line and why might it be done this way?
Always request to go to kings court first - always try sort it peacefully before war
Rule of law (king) rejected by the baddy - then war
Legitimacy of king by trying to sort it peacefully (upholding peace in realm) and letting baddy defy rule of law
Also cheaper to do things peacefully
What is important to remember about courtly/ecclesiastical sources
All writers studied rhetoric
Where does military action fall in the order of relationships between lords and that?
The final straw after honour, law, oaths etc
written about a lot in ‘The Life of King Louis the Fat’
Why does law 34 of the Ustages mean a man can lose everything for deserting and not helping his lord in battle?
The whole point of a knight is to aid in battle, otherwise pointless .’. super disgraceful to desert when he could’ve aided
What is the consequence of disobedience to your lord (36 of Ustages)?
“must LOSE FOREVER everything he holds from him [his lord]”, even stuff he owns that he didn’t receive from this lord
What is stated in 122 of Ustages and how does this potray the prince?
“he who refuses judgement of the court, attacks the veracity of the court; and he who attacks the veracity of the court, harms the prince.”
Prince the lawgiver and keeper of order, hierarchy and peace in realm
What does Thomas Aquinas think about the nature of laws?
“Every law comes from the reason and will of the legislator.” - the law is an extension of the king’s will
