J. R. Maddicott
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199585502
- eISBN:
- 9780191723148
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199585502.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History, Political History
This book describes the evolution of the English parliament from its earliest origins in the late Anglo‐Saxon period. Starting with the national assemblies which began to meet in the ...
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This book describes the evolution of the English parliament from its earliest origins in the late Anglo‐Saxon period. Starting with the national assemblies which began to meet in the reign of King Æthelstan (924–39), it carries the story of those assemblies through to the fully‐fledged parliament of lords and commons which sanctioned the deposition of Edward II in 1327. It argues that parliament developed by a continuous process from the ‘witan’ of the Anglo‐Saxons, but that its development was also shaped and drastically transformed by a series of unforeseen events and episodes, among them the Norman Conquest, the wars of Richard I and John, and, most crucially, Magna Carta, which made national taxation subject to assembly consent. It shows that throughout this process the lesser landholders of the countryside played a larger part in the assembly's work than has usually been assumed, even before they appeared as the knights of the shire, elected representatives of their localities. It emphasizes that at most times the assembly could be viewed as a representative body. It was, however, only in the thirteenth century that ideas of representation derived from legal theory came together with the need for direct representation occasioned by more regular tax demands to promote local elections. It concludes by making some extended comparisons with other European assemblies, especially those of France and Spain, and argues that local circumstances made the English parliament a very different body from most of its overseas counterparts.
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This book describes the evolution of the English parliament from its earliest origins in the late Anglo‐Saxon period. Starting with the national assemblies which began to meet in the reign of King Æthelstan (924–39), it carries the story of those assemblies through to the fully‐fledged parliament of lords and commons which sanctioned the deposition of Edward II in 1327. It argues that parliament developed by a continuous process from the ‘witan’ of the Anglo‐Saxons, but that its development was also shaped and drastically transformed by a series of unforeseen events and episodes, among them the Norman Conquest, the wars of Richard I and John, and, most crucially, Magna Carta, which made national taxation subject to assembly consent. It shows that throughout this process the lesser landholders of the countryside played a larger part in the assembly's work than has usually been assumed, even before they appeared as the knights of the shire, elected representatives of their localities. It emphasizes that at most times the assembly could be viewed as a representative body. It was, however, only in the thirteenth century that ideas of representation derived from legal theory came together with the need for direct representation occasioned by more regular tax demands to promote local elections. It concludes by making some extended comparisons with other European assemblies, especially those of France and Spain, and argues that local circumstances made the English parliament a very different body from most of its overseas counterparts.
Robin Frame
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198206040
- eISBN:
- 9780191676949
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198206040.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History, Political History
All too often British history means English history and the histories of Wales,
Scotland, and Ireland are left to scholars of the ‘Celtic
Fringe’. In this ...
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All too often British history means English history and the histories of Wales,
Scotland, and Ireland are left to scholars of the ‘Celtic
Fringe’. In this clear and authoritative introduction to the medieval
history of the British Isles, the four countries are viewed together, revealing the
similarities and contrasts between the different regions. During the period
1100–1400, the British Isles formed a political sphere of great
complexity, and were closely integrated with continental Europe. The most dynamic
power was that represented by the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, church and monarchy, and
their successor, the Plantagenet state. The book traces the expansion of this power,
which by 1300 had embraced the whole of Wales and much of Ireland. It examines how
the Scottish kings alone sustained an extended rival orbit, and how the prolonged
clash between the two monarchies eventually loosened the control of each other over
its Gaelic fringes.
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All too often British history means English history and the histories of Wales,
Scotland, and Ireland are left to scholars of the ‘Celtic
Fringe’. In this clear and authoritative introduction to the medieval
history of the British Isles, the four countries are viewed together, revealing the
similarities and contrasts between the different regions. During the period
1100–1400, the British Isles formed a political sphere of great
complexity, and were closely integrated with continental Europe. The most dynamic
power was that represented by the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, church and monarchy, and
their successor, the Plantagenet state. The book traces the expansion of this power,
which by 1300 had embraced the whole of Wales and much of Ireland. It examines how
the Scottish kings alone sustained an extended rival orbit, and how the prolonged
clash between the two monarchies eventually loosened the control of each other over
its Gaelic fringes.
Simon Payling
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198202097
- eISBN:
- 9780191675140
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198202097.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History, Political History
This is a study of the political and social structure of late medieval England. It examines the wealth and political influence of a dozen Nottinghamshire families who dominated their ...
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This is a study of the political and social structure of late medieval England. It examines the wealth and political influence of a dozen Nottinghamshire families who dominated their county during the first half of the fifteenth century. The author’s analysis shifts the historical emphasis from the barons at the head of their affinities to the greater gentry as members of well-defined shire establishments. The study reassesses the nature of baronial-gentry relations, and establishes the true extent of the influence of the greater gentry. It is both an addition to local studies and a contribution to the historiographical debate on the role of the gentry in late medieval England.
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This is a study of the political and social structure of late medieval England. It examines the wealth and political influence of a dozen Nottinghamshire families who dominated their county during the first half of the fifteenth century. The author’s analysis shifts the historical emphasis from the barons at the head of their affinities to the greater gentry as members of well-defined shire establishments. The study reassesses the nature of baronial-gentry relations, and establishes the true extent of the influence of the greater gentry. It is both an addition to local studies and a contribution to the historiographical debate on the role of the gentry in late medieval England.
