THE MAKING OF BRITAIN. 'iithe Middle Ages

Transcription

1 THE MAKING OF BRITAIN 'iithe Middle Ages

2 THE MAKING OF BRITAIN "ithe M.iddle Ages edited by Lesley M. Smith g#1if 4 FOUR BOOK MACMILLAN

3 London Weekend Television 1985 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1985 Published by Higher and Further Education Division MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world Typeset and designed by Columns of Reading British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data The Middle Ages - (The Making of Britain) 1. Great Britain - History - Medieval period, I. Smith, Lesley II. Series 941 DA 175 ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI /

4 (Contents List of Maps and Illustrations Acknowledgements Preface vu xu Xlll Introduction 1 Lesley M. Smith 1 The Outer Edge of the Earth 7 W.L. Warren 2 The New Europeans 23 Anne Duggan 3 Magna Carta and Royal Government 41 John Gillingham 4 War, Politics and Parliament 55 Chris Given-Wilson 5 The Triumph of Scotland 71 Alexander Grant 6 Working the Land 87 David Carpenter 7 The Lords of the Manor 101 Caroline Barron 8 Towns and Trade 119 Richard Mackenney

5 vi CONTENTS 9 The Church and the Love of Christ 135 David Carpenter 10 The King's Peace 149 John Post 11 The Written Word: from Domesday Book to Caxton 163 M. T. Clanchy 12 Europe and the Wider World 179 Geoffrey Parker Notes 195 Notes on Contributors 210 Index 213

6 li.cist of Maps and Illustrations Chapter 1 1. An eleventh century map of the world 8 2. A mosaic showing the Holy City of Jerusalem 9 3. Christ on the Cross Knights on crusade The equipment of a knight The seal of William the Lion, King of Scots The Norman monastery at Jumieges Foot soldiers and cavalry Reconstruction of a motte and bailey castle The cathedral and castle at Durham, dominating the city 22 Chapter 2 1. Medieval Islamic scholars at work in a library A page from an arabic translation of Euclid Centres of learning in the twelfth century Hugh of St Victor teaching A page from an early English decretal collection Pope Gregory IX (from the Smithfield Decretals) Artist's reconstruction of the exchequer at work Wells Cathedral The Prior's door, Ely Lincoln Cathedral Wells Cathedral: detail of carvings 37 12a. Mosaic at Palermo showing the death of the Virgin 39 12b. Illustration of the death of the Virgin from the Winchester Psalter 39

7 viii LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS Chapter 3 1. Detail of Magna Carta Victorian representation of John setting his seal to Magna Carta 43 3a. The Angevin Empire in b. The Angevin Empire in The seal of King John Henry II (top left), Richard I (top right), John (bottom left), Henry III (bottom right) Magna Carta John's funeral monument in Worcester Cathedral 53 Chapter 4 1a. A medieval battle scene 56 1 b. Detail showing a medieval knight The battle of Agincourt Henry V of England Soldiers looting a house Soldiers carousing after the fall of a town John 'the Mediocre' of France Windsor Castle: St George's Chapel Mons Meg The Palace of Westminster before the fire of Parliament of Henry VIII, showing the Speaker of the Commons 68 Chapter 5 1. The Kingdom of Scotland Illuminated initial from the Kelso Charter showing David I and Malcolm IV The seal of the Guardians of Scotland showing St Andrew The Declaration of Arbroath The seal of King Robert I A fifteenth century impression of the battle of Bannockburn James II, King of Scots James IV, King of Scots 85 Chapter 6 1. Interior of Willingham Church Sixteenth century plan of Willingham Broughton Castle 89

8 LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS ix 4. The founders of Broughton Castle Breaking the land Ploughing the land Clearing the forest Gathering the harvest Victims of the Black Death Sowing seed Illustration of the Peasants' Revolt from Froissart's Chronicles 97 Chapter 7 1a. Preparing food for the household 102 lb. Cooking food for the household John Paston's tomb, now used as the altar in Paston Church The ruins of Somerton Church Letter to John Paston with the word 'churles' cut out The entrance to Bromholm Priory Places visted by Margaret Paston in A view of London in the early sixteenth century A landed gentleman at home with his servants The Paston family tree A page from Lydgate's Siege of Thebes An inventory of John Paston's books 116 Chapter 8 1. Chaucer's pilgrims The Gough Map, showing England's towns in the fourteenth century Taking the harvest to market English builders at work Scene from the Luttrell Psalter Italian bankers at work Rural workers carding and spinning wool, as well as working on the land Site of the Norman castle and cathedral at Old Sarum Tavern scene Merchant Adventurers' Hall, York: the Great Hall 131 Chapter 9 1. Clerical misconduct The murder of Thomas Becket Rievaulx Abbey 142

9 x LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS 4. St Francis of Assisi 5. The confirmation of the Order of St Francis 6. Pope Boniface VIII and his cardinals Chapter Edward I: a contemporary 'portrait' from a legal record List of fines levied from offenders in the Court of the King's Bench Legal records Record of the trial of Wakelin the son of Ranulf Confession and accusations of William Rose Trial by battle from a legal record Charter of pardon and list of subscribers Bequest to the Cliftons in the will of the wife of Sir Thomas West Illustration of a fifteenth century court of law 161 Chapter Detail from Domesday Book Part of the initial from the beginning of the Book of Genesis, the Winchester Bible Eadwin, 'prince of writers' Three parallel texts, with glosses and translations, from Eadwin's text of the psalms Griffith falling to his death from the Tower of London, drawn by Matthew Paris The benefactors of Crowland Abbey, crowding forward with their charters Forged charter in the name of the first Norman bishop of Durham The Whaddon Folio: the Court of King's Bench The Annunciation, depicting the Virgin and the donors with books The Gutenberg Bible The Psalter of Printed indulgence form of Chapter Sebastian Cabot Antwerp in the early sixteenth century Engraving of Venice showing the busy seafront 183 4a. Western half of the Catalan Atlas,

10 UST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRA nons xi 4b. Eastern half of the Catalan Atlas, The Martellus Map: Mappa Mundi 6. Medieval shipbuilding 7. Early navigation instruments in use 8. The waterfront at Lisbon 9. Christopher Columbus 10. The landfall of Christopher Columbus in the New World

11 Acknowlegements The publishers wish to acknowledge the following illustration sources: The trustees of the British Museum; Foto Scala; Mr Leonard von Matt; Trinity College, Cambridge; The Dean and Chapter, Durham Cathedral; Tapisserie de Bayeux; Lutterworth Press; The Bodleian Library; John Freeman Photographic library; Woodman sterne Publications Ltd.; The Mansell Collection; Giraudon; Scottish Development Department; H.M. The Queen; National Library of Scotland; Scottish Record Office; Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; Scottish National Portrait Gallery; Cambridgeshire Record Office; Bibliotheque de Dijon; Society of Antiquaries; St John's College, Cambridge; Public Record Office; BBC Hulton Picture Library; The Dean and Chapter, Winchester Cathedral; The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple; National Maritime Museum. Every effort has been made to trace all the copyright holders but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangement at the first opportunity.

12 Preface This volume is based on the second series of The Making of Britain produced by London Weekend Television. Once again I am grateful to all those at London Weekend Television involved in the series, Barry Cox, Mick Pilsworth and David Coulter, and to our commissioning editor at Channel Four, Naomi Sargeant. My thanks are due also to the contributors to the series and book, who generously shared their enthusiasm and expertise and, with great patience and tact, saved me from many errors. Other scholars shared their knowledge with me during the preparation of the series and this book, and I should like in particular to thank Professor Rodney Hilton and John Hatcher, who explained to me in great detail the workings of the medieval rurai economy, and also Professor Geoffrey Barrow, Brenda Bolton, Elizabeth Hallam-Smith, Paul Hyams, Professor Henry Loyn, Michael Prestwich and Nigel Saul. I am grateful for the help and encouragement I received from our editor at Macmillan, Vanessa Peerless, while Pam Wilkinson, Jane Crush and Beverly Spurdens typed a difficult manuscript quickly and with great care. L.M.S. London, May 1984