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This book provides a comprehensive revision and analysis of Normandy, its rulers, and governance between the traditional date for the foundation of the duchy, 911, and the completion of the conquest led by Count Geoffrey V of theAngevins, 1144. It examines how the Norman dukes were able to establish and then to maintain themselves in their duchy, providing a new historical narrative in the process. It also explores the various tools that they used to promote and enforce their authority, from the recruitment of armies to the use of symbolism and emotions at court. In particular, it also seeks to come to terms with the practicalities of ducal power, and reveals that it was framed and promoted from the bottom up as much as from the top down. Dr Mark Hagger is Senior Lecturer in History, School of History, Welsh History and Archaeology, Bangor University.
List of contents
Introduction
Settlement and Survival: Normandy in the Tenth Century, 911-996
Expansion: Normandy and its Dukes in the Eleventh-Century, 996-1087
Sibling Rivalry: Normandy under the Conqueror's Heirs,1087-1144
Holier Than Thou: The Dukes and the Church
Sovereigns, Styles, and Scribes
Lonely at the Top: The Duke and his Executive Authority
The Duke and the Court: The Display and Experience of Power
The Chief Purpose of our Government: The Dukes and Justice
Movements, Messengers, Mandates, and Minions
Accounting for Power: Ducal Finance
Strength in Depth: The Dukes and their Knights, Castles, and Armies
Conclusion
Timeline
Bibliography
About the author
Mark Hagger is a reader in medieval history at Bangor University.
Summary
A magisterial survey of Normandy from its origins in the tenth century to its conquest some two hundred years later.
