The Nobility and the State in Angevin and Post-Angevin England

Abstract

This chapter examines the fortunes of the aristocracy in England between the mid-twelfth and the mid-thirteenth century, beginning with the impact of Angevin kingship upon the aristocratic world and the great aristocratic revolt which led to Magna Carta. We will look at the impact of the Common Law upon both the high aristocracy and minor aristocracy/knights. We turn then to examining the changes that were taking place within the aristocracy itself within this period, that is to say the impact of chivalric knighthood and the delineation of nobility. The emphasis throughout is upon power relations rather than the development of the ‘constitution’. The chapter also looks at aristocratic values through the near-contemporary History of William the Marshal. The last part of the chapter looks at the half-century following Magna Carta, not in teleological terms. but in its own right. Finally, the chapter re-examines the origins of bastard feudalism.