R IP Flashcards
Money raising: 1189 Pre-crusade - how does he earn money (6)
- Sale of office - replaces sheriffs with new ones willing to pay for it. E.g. Gerard de Camville - sheriff of Lincolnshire and Constable of Lincoln Castle. By the end of 1189, 5% of pre-existing sheriffs were still in office. Countered Henry II’s work of centralisation.
- Sold demesne lands - Henry II was able to realise 60% of demesne value. Richard, in 1198, was only able to realise 39%.
- He granted charters to towns - e.g. sold charters to Bath and Colchester in 1189
- Quitclaim of Canterbury in 1189, earned 10,000 Marks.
- Former bishop of Ely Geoffrey Ridel died and Richard claimed £2000 because he did not leave a will
- Raised £31,000 in 1190.
Money raising: 1193 ransom - how does he earn money (5)
- 25% tax on moveables announced in 1193 (10 times 1166 tax), as a result of the 150,000 mark ransom.
- A feudal aid of £1 per knight’s fee was raised.
- Tax on the profits of the cistercian wool trade
- Feudal dues were increased, as was Forest Law (£748 raised in 1198 as opposed to £22 in 1197)
- Donations to win kings favour and hope of rewards
Money raising: how else does he raise money post ransom (failure and successes)
- Increased trade - standardised due to assize of weights and measures
Assize on goods and customs meant king took 10% of all trade
Carrucage - 5 shillings per carucage/ploughland
Failure! In 23 counties, land holders tried to avoid paying the tax and even tried to stop surveyers going on their land
Instead they were happy to pay a fine (wasnt a repeated tax)
Led to revolts in 1197 and only earns £1000-1500.
Evidence that trade was now a significant aspect of royal finances
Assize of Weights and Measures (1197) standardised trade making sure people are selling goods in the correct quantities
Embargo on Flanders shows that trade can be a weapon
There were more ports - Portsmouth became a major centre for trade
Assize on Goods and Customs (1199) introduced a 10% tariff on incoming goods because of increased demand and the fact that he has given away a lot of land (60% - 39% from HII to R)
Walter of Coutances negotiation with monks of Canterbury
He negotiated with monks of Canterbury and Abbot of Canterbury Baldwin of La Forde
He wanted to sideline the monks and make a community of priests
Good negotiation
Governmental changes (11)
Innovations (6)
Documentation (2)
Peace keeping (3)
Innovations (6)
Coroners (1194)
Jewish records (1194)
Feet of fines (1195)
Assize of Weights and Measures (1197)
Assize on Good and customs (1199)
Taxation/Carucage (1198)
Documentation (2)
Articles in eyre (1194)
Increments (1194)
Peace keeping (3)
The Assize of Arms (1181)
Walters Ordinance (1195)
Chief Constables (1205)
Innovation: Coroners (1194)
New role in local government
Hear and collect evidence for potential trials
Keep records to give to justices in eyres
Reduced power of sheriffs and reduced corruption
Innovation: Jewish records (1194)
The king can tax the jews with a levy on property (tallage)
If a jew dies all their outstanding debts go to the king
HW insists there were to be duplicate copies of every contract between a Jewish money lender and the borrower
Why? So they could verify how much was owed
Innovation: Feet of fines (1195)
Anti corruption measure that keeps records of the decisions made
Innovation: Assize of Weights and measures (1197)
Standardisation of weights and measures
Makes sure people are selling goods in the right quantities
Innovation: Assize on goods and customs (1199)
10% tariff on incoming goods - the king takes his cut of the value of trade
Innovation: Taxation/Carucage (1194)
The Angevins introduced the idea that a percentage tax needs consent
Carucage was a reformed danegeld
5 shillings per carucage was charged
It was unsuccessful as it only raised £1000
In 23 counties people avoided paying the tax and even tried to stop surveys from being made
Resulted in revolts in 1197
People tried to pay fines instead so that they werent repeated
Documentation: Articles in eyre (1194)
Localities were given a set of instructions telling them what to do and to hold them to account
For example justices were asked to check whether adulterine castles were torn down
Documentation: Increments (1194) + Memoranda roll
Sheriffs in each shire were in charge of getting the ‘farm’ - this was money from land owed to the king (makes sure he gets the value of his land)
Also, sheriffs were made to provide ‘top up fees’ with a bit of extra money
Memoranda roll: notes were taken of the meetings of the exchequer (done because it is needed if an important person is absent)
Peace keeping: Assize of Arms (1181)
6000 knights worth of troops from top 160 barons were owed to the king from Cartae Baronum
Now, all men of wealth were expected to provide military service
Peace keeping: Walter’s Ordinance (1195)
In every shire, local knights were to be elected as keepers of the peace
They went round and made people swear oaths (once they came of age)
Reduced power of the sheriff
Peace keeping: Chief Constables (1205)
These were men who were responsible for raising military forces in the localities
Again, reduced power of the sheriff
Longchamp: was he popular (7)
- Government was run efficiently - Exchequer was working, and justice was done through a Judicial Eyre.
- Papal legate - considering he was only Bishop of Ely, it may have alienated some within the Church
- Nepotism - his brothers, Henry and Osbert were given positions of power in his shrievalties.
- Hamelin de Warenne did support him.
- Xenophobia - many think he was disliked because he was a Norman by birth and probably didn’t speak English.
- The arrest of Geoffrey evoked memories of Thomas Becket and was not popular.
- Overall, he was arrogant. It wasn’t what he did but how he did it.
Interpretations: Gillingham - capture
- Had Richard returned in 1193 without being captured, his empire would have been intact - his mistake was being captured.
- Counters: John was allied with Philip, John and Geoffrey had returned to England, Longchamp was unpopular and Walter of Coutances hadn’t settled them yet.
Interpretations: Gillingham - territory
Territorial losses were not permanent - Richard even gained some land that was not owned in 1189, e.g. in Berry
Interpretations: Gillingham - financial strain? (5)
- Richard didn’t financially exhaust the kingdom - John raised £57,000 from one tax alone in 1207
- John of Belmeis said that compared to the French king, Richard was as demanding as a hermit - arguably, Philip’s territories were feeling a greater strain than Richard’s
- Yet he doesn’t use numbers, only expressions
- Richard was richer than Philip, especially when you look at the way he hired mercenaries, built castles etc.
- Though he taxed more than Henry II, people complained less because they knew he would spend it well.
Interpretations: Gillingham - pre-throne good?
- Most kings need a few decades to make their main changes (e.g. Henry II). Richard, however, was making changes within a few years of succeeding to the throne
Interpretations: Gillingham - war + appointments
- Fighting a war in medieval times required immense skill and discipline. It was also skilful to appoint men like Hubert Walter and Geoffrey FitzPeter.
