GENERAL GENEALOGY STUFF
Genealogy served an important legal, cultural, historical and social function in medieval Europe. Genealogical narratives of history were an expression of social memory that developed in medieval period. As described by Gabrielle Spiegel, French chronicles used genealogical history in a series of biographies linked by hereditary succession to narrate a history based on generations, not a calendar or annalistic notion of time. The use of genealogies in historical narratives in France appeared at the same time as the noble families began to organize and envision themselves into ‘vertical structures’ based on a hereditary lineage. This suggests that genealogical constructs of historical narratives were a reflection of social developments. The social and cultural evolution of how prestige and
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The longer the lineage of descent, then stronger the argument for legitimacy. Howard Bloch identified a development in Medieval Europe where the possession of land shifted from a ‘horizontal’ ownership between family members, to a more ‘vertical/temporal’ system, where the land is kept as one whole and ownership is transferred on the principle of primogeniture. The relationship between land and the family that possessed it changed gradually from one that was orientated more towards kinship groups and patrimony to one that was centred on indivisible ‘family lands’, which fostered a line of descent of individual land holders. Thus ‘length of time became associated with prestige’. The further back a family’s forebears could be traced, the more a family was regarded as older and established. This, combined with demonstrating dynastic prestige through legendary ancestors, is a powerful motive for the pedigree to extend all the way back to Noah. Moreover, the use of myths to explain the origins of a people and their rulers was widespread in medieval Europe. Canterbury MS 1 is part of a long tradition of genealogical narratives
I will focus on the surname Grayson for the purpose of this essay. I will focus on the two siblings that were the offspring from the coupling of the Scotsman, Rober...
Davis gives various examples of the social norms that peasants lived under during the sixteenth century. When Sanxi, Guerre’s father, and his family decided to leave their village, Davis states that the majority of men who leave their village do so because they “were usually not heir to their family’s property, as was Sanxi Daguerre, but younger brothers who could not or would not remain in the ancestral household” (Davis 6). This highlights the idea that being the heir to the family’s inheritance is a great indicator of how one’s life as a peasant would carry on. It is very likely that if one is the heir, then the individual shall stay at their property and assume the role as head of the household once the “s...
In conclusion, While Clovis King of the Franks, the serf and the Southampton wool merchant each related to their individual communities in their own way, yet related to medieval society in general in a way that shaped it into the society we study today. It’s interesting how people can be so different socially and economically yet can still have an effect on society as a whole.
The Bishop of Hamburg Grants a Charter to Colonists (1106) is a legal document commissioned by Frederick, Bishop of Hamburg, outlining the rights of the Hollanders in regards to the land he was offering for them to colonise. Furthermore, the charter was signed by “Henry, the Priest, to whom we have granted the aforesaid churches for life” in addition to the “laymen, Helikin, Arnold, Hiko, Fordolt, and Referic” . Produced in 1106, this source reveals the value of land in the economic climate of the Middle Ages. This source is “a perpetual benediction” , and thus is destined to the current and future Bishop landowners of the area, to bind them in legal agreement, according to the specific payment and dimensions laid out in the charter. This source illuminates the value and power of the ecclesiastical order of the land. This source reveals the interplay of the church and the secular clergy, the nobility and landowners, and the laity, with further insight into measurements and economic currency used in the 12th century Medieval Europe. Not only was this charter a means of granting land ...
Froissart’s Chronicles, simply known as the Chroniques, is considered by historians as the one of the important entities that recounts the events which happened during the Hundred Years’ War period. It was an extensive literary work with approximately 1.5 million words in length, written in Middle French prose by Jean Froissart. The Chronicles start by narrating the deposition of King Edward II in year 1326 and covering events from this time onward up to year 1400, hence can be significant in the study of the first part of the Hundred Years’ War. This source is also of vital importance in the study as well as the understanding of the chivalric culture of the 14th century England and French as chivalry and knighthood are the central ideal of
Lineages are important in both the Anglo Saxon period and Ancient Egypt. In the Anglo Saxon period lot of kings and royals were put into their high power position because of where they come from such like Ancient Egypt. In the article, “The Conquest and its Aftermath” it said, “After all, Edwin and Morcar were the grandsons of one of the most successful collaborators,”(Ibeji). Edwins and Morcar high position was given because of his background. Their linage mattered to the person they are and shaped how they are viewed. In the article “Vikings”, it said “where the line of kings descended from Alfred the Great was faltering. Harald’s rebellious son, Sven Forkbeard, led Viking raids on England beginning in 991 and conquered the entire kingdom
Most people within the Middle Ages did not move or go anywhere very often. If you were born somewhere during these times, you most likely to stay there till your death. This idea matters greatly in the scheme of Feud...
In order to legitimise a regime or cause, traditions may be constructed around historical or mythological events, people or symbols that reinforce the image required to focus people’s conception of the past. People can be encouraged to invent a cohesive view of their shared ‘traditions’ by what could be called cherry picking bits of history.
1 Nestor the Chronicler, compiler. Cross, Samuel & Olgerd Sherbowitz-Wetzor, editors. The Primary Chronicle. Cambridge: The Medieval Academy of America. pg. 115
People study history because they wish to strengthen human connections. The same can be drawn about the pursuit of genealogy. Whether it be connections to nobility, to a specific ethnic group or a specific event in history, there are diverse motivations to study genealogy According to Francois Weil, “Genealogy provides a powerful lens to understand personal and collective identities.” In essence Weil’s Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America is a study of American identity over a span of four centuries through a discussion of genealogy and family history.
Knight, Judson. Middle Ages. Ed. Judy Galens. J-Z ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: UXL, 2001. Print.
By using Canterbury MS 1 as a case study, it will examine the portrayal of political ideas in a royal genealogy, addressing themes such as political prophecy, kingship and kingdoms. As explained, previous approaches to genealogical chronicle rolls have tended to focus on the dynastic and propagandist context of these manuscripts, while the representation of broader political concerns has not yet been examined. Analysing
Shawna Herzog, History 101-1, Class Lecture: 11.2 Society in the Middle Ages, 27 March 2014.
Benton, John F. ed “Introduction” Self and Society In Medieval France: The Memoirs of Abbot Guibert of Nogent. Edited and Translated By John F. Benton. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1984.
Through examining these texts, it is evident that the advantages historians have when drawing on evidence such as this is that they can easily reveal certain social and cultural values of the society from which the authors came from, just as easily as it shows social and cultural values of the society of which it was written about. The limitations for historians when collecting written evidence is that some key features of the complex civilizations written about were often left out or could be easily misinterpreted or