Synopsis: Throughout medieval Europe, for hundreds of years, monarchy was the way that politics worked in most countries. This meant power was in the hands of a family - a dynasty; that politics was family politics; and political life was shaped by the births, marriages and deaths of the ruling family.
How did the dynastic system cope with female rule, or pretenders to the throne? How did dynasties use names, the numbering of rulers and the visual display of heraldry to express their identity? And why did some royal families survive and thrive, while others did not?
Drawing on a rich and memorable body of sources, this engaging and original history of dynastic power in Latin Christendom and Byzantium explores the role played by family dynamics and family consciousness in the politics of the royal and imperial dynasties of Europe.
From royal marriages and the birth of sons, to female sovereigns, mistresses and wicked uncles, Robert Bartlett makes enthralling sense of the complex web of internal rivalries and loyalties of the ruling dynasties and casts fresh light on an essential feature of the medieval world.
This is really an analysis of family politics of royal and imperial dynasties throughout Latin Christendom and Byzantium 500 - 1500.
All things proceeding as planned, the bride gives birth to the much awaited offspring, what then? For "what happens in bed had political consequences". Acknowledgement of a designated heir and or coronation secures the succession to a point but then we can run into problems such as a minority and interregnum or worse, adult sons - kings-in-waiting - circling and waiting for their chance. But what if the marriage produces only females - we then have now the succession of a queen and the associated issues of finding a potential husband, or the possible exclusion from rule altogether for the female heir.
Whilst considering the legitimate succession of son or daughter, we must also look to those illegitimate heirs and their rights to the succession for in many instances the "father's blood was enough to transmit eligibility to the throne" and sometimes preference was given to an illegitimate male over a legitimate female.
" ... ruling dynasties were not biological units but political ones. Collateral branches might be excluded or pruned ... governed by biological uncertainty ..."
Still looking at the life cycle of a dynasty, Bartlett takes us through changes both within and without that can affect the success of a dynasty - hereditary or elective, too few heirs / too many heirs or rivals, provision of a patrimony for younger brothers especially as it may involve subdivision of dynastic lands. And if the heir is young and there is a minority, what of the "wicked" uncle or stepmother. It is not only the traditional forms of succession that are discussed but also how the dynasty worked within the Church, a Republic or City State to secure longevity. Bartlett finishes his look at the life cycle with death, whether through illness, accident, warfare, assassination, disfigurement, or the figurative death of the dynasty through extinction.
The second part of this work looks at the "sense of dynasty" - a bit more of an academic detour looking at the terminology and naming of dynasties, and of associating periods in time through the dynasty - ie: Tudor, Plantagenet, Capetian. We also look at names, naming patterns, name changes and of course, the numbering of successive monarchs. Diverging a little more, Bartlett considers how astrology, prophets, even sorcery and magic can have an impact in the face of dynastic uncertainty. He also takes a look at how monarchs themselves perceive their dynasty - the foundation legends, their public image and the medieval PR that goes into maintaining it.
One of my favourite chapters concerns pretenders and "returners" - the latter being a phrase I had not fully considered. We are treated to all manner of imposters, pretenders, substitution, deposition and imprisonment, and the "resurrection" of monarchs long thought dead.
Bartlett tells us that ".. ancient royalty is simply conquest that has endured ..".
This work will make a must have resource / reference for those with a penchant for medieval history. It is extremely well researched - so all the hard work is done for you - and is extensively noted with a comprehensive bibliography. There are many unique examples peppered throughout to support the information - so not just the standard, more familiar dynasties - which is easy to both read and understand.
Definitely one for my own personal library.
No comments:
Post a Comment