The lordship of england : royal wardships and marriages in english society and politics, 1217-1327 /

This thorough examination of the feudal powers of English kings in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries is the only study to analyze the actual pattern of royal grants and the grantees' use of their rights, and to place them in the social context of marriage, kinship, and landholding w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Waugh, Scott L. (Author)
Corporate Authors: De Gruyter.
Published: Princeton University Press,
Publisher Address: Princeton, N.J. :
Publication Dates: [1988]
©1988
Literature type: eBook
Language: English
Subjects:
Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781400859474
http://www.degruyter.com/doc/cover/9781400859474.jpg
Summary: This thorough examination of the feudal powers of English kings in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries is the only study to analyze the actual pattern of royal grants and the grantees' use of their rights, and to place them in the social context of marriage, kinship, and landholding within the English elite. The royal rights, known as feudal incidents, included custody of a tenant's lands when he died leaving minor heirs, the arrangement of the heir's marriage, and consent to the widow's remarriage. Scott Waugh shows how the king exercised those rights and how his use of feudal incidents affected his relations with the tenants-in-chief. He concludes that royal lordship was of fundamental importance in reinforcing the power and prestige of the monarchy and in offering the king a valuable source of patronage.English kings, therefore, devoted considerable effort to defining and institutionalizing their feudal authority in the thirteenth century. It is also clear that families living under royal lordship were profoundly concerned about these rights, especially since marriage was of such critical importance in providing for the smooth transfer of lands from one generation to another. Given the hazards of life in the Middle Ages, inheritance by minors was a frequent occurrence, and the king's distribution of feudal incidents was therefore a delicate political problem. It raised issues not only about royal finances and favoritism but also about the fate of families.Originally published in 1988.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Carrier Form: 1 online resource (344 pages) : illustrations
ISBN: 9781400859474
Index Number: DA225
CLC: D756.19
Contents: Frontmatter --
CONTENTS --
1. MARRIAGE, KINSHIP, AND PROPERTY --
2. ROYAL LORDSHIP IN THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY --
3. ADMINISTERING ROYAL LORDSHIP --
4. THE USES OF ROYAL LORDSHIP --
5. GUARDIANS AND WARDS --
6. INCENTIVE AND DISCIPLINE: THE POLITICS OF ROYAL LORDSHIP --
CONCLUSION --
APPENDIX: RECEIPTS OF THE ESCHEATORS --
BIBLIOGRAPHY --
INDEX.