The Historians of Angevin England

415 Pages·2017·2.26 MB·English

by  Michael Staunton

THE HISTORIANS OF ANGEVIN ENGLAND

The Historians of
Angevin England
MICHAEL STAUNTON
1
3
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Acknowledgements
This book originated with a Government of Ireland Senior Research Fellowship,
which allowed me a year of exploratory research. I would like to thank the Irish
Research Council for their generosity, without which no such project could have
been begun. Most of the book was written in Dublin, and I am grateful to the
support of my colleagues in the School of History, University College Dublin,
throughoutthatperiod.Ialsobenefitedgreatlyfrommytimeasavisitingresearch
fellowattheCenterforMedievalStudies,FordhamUniversity,NewYork,andat
BardCollege,NewYork.Manypeoplecontributedinmanydifferentwaystothe
completion of this book. I am most grateful to those who read parts of the
manuscript at different stages, butI would also like to thank those who discussed
the subject with me, directed me towards sources, gave me particular pieces of
information, or corrected me. I also appreciate those in Dublin, New York,
London, Cambridge, and elsewhere who helped to facilitate research and writing
in various ways. All of the following contributed positively to the book, none are
responsibleformistakes,nordotheynecessarilysharetheviewsandinterpretations
expressed: Richard Aldous, Haki Antonsson, Martin Aurell, Sverre Bagge, Kate
Breslin,StephenChurch,LauraCleaver,EdwardColeman,ChristopherdeHamel,
Anne Duggan, Christoph Egger, Gillian Evans, Jennifer Farrell, Marie Therese
Flanagan, Roy Flechner, Thomas Foerster, Susan Foran, John Gillingham, Chris
Given-Wilson, Julie Kerr, Maryanne Kowaleski, Marisa Libbon, Gillian O’Brien,
NancyPartner,NicholasPaul,JonathanPhillips,SeymourPhillips,ManuelRojas,
Nina Rowe, Bernardo Santano, Diarmuid Scully, Sigbjørn Sønnesyn, Matthew
Strickland, Karen Sullivan, Craig Taylor, Biörn Tjällén, Nicholas Vincent, Björn
Weiler, Andrea Worm, Suzanne Yeager. Special thanks are due to Jane Folpe for
witnessing the book from start to finish. Finally, I would like to mention two
people who did not live to read this. One is Jennifer O’Reilly, my first teacher of
medieval history. The other is my mother, May, who would occasionally ask me,
‘Areyoustillwritingthatbookofyours?’Thatbookisdedicatedtoher.

Contents
Abbreviations ix
1. Introduction 1
PART I. THE WRITERS AND HISTORIOGRAPHY
IN ANGEVIN ENGLAND
2. WritingContemporaryHistoryinMedievalEngland 19
3. RogerofHowden:AHistorianinGovernment 51
4. RalphofDiceto:PuttingEnglishHistoryinitsPlace 67
5. WilliamofNewburgh:HistoryandInterpretation 82
6. GeraldofWales:ThePolymathasHistorian 95
7. GervaseofCanterburyandRalphofCoggeshall:
TheScopeofEnglishHistory 108
8. RichardofDevizes,WalterMap,andRicharddeTemplo:
HistoryandLiterature 128
PART II. THE MAIN THEMES OF
ANGEVIN HISTORIOGRAPHY
9. HenryIIandAngevinKingship 153
10. TheRiseandFallofHenryII 165
11. Rebellion 185
12. TheLossofJerusalemandtheThirdCrusade 216
13. TheBattlesofGodandKingRichard 236
14. TheTrialsoftheLionheart 260
15. ChurchandGovernmentfromBeckettoLongchamp 281
16. Outsiders:Women,thePoor,Heretics,andJews 308
17. TheEnglishandtheirNeighbours 338
18. Conclusion 362
Bibliography 367
Index 389

Abbreviations
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CCCM CorpusChristianorumContinuatioMediaevalis
CCSL CorpusChristianorum,SeriesLatina
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Chronicles,ed.Howlett ChroniclesoftheReignsofStephen,HenryIIandRichardI,vols
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num, De expugnatione Terrae Sanctae libellus; Thomas Agnellus
DemorteetsepulturaHenriciregisAngliaejunioris;GestaFulconis
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Historica:TheHistoricalWorksofMasterRalphdeDiceto,Deanof
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EHR TheEnglishHistoricalReview
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RollsSeries21.London,1861–91.