HIST 107 Introduction to Medieval History Lecture 11 New Types of Lordship Violence and Family Structure Main Questions 1 How did the Carolingian world mutate between the ninth and eleventh centuries 2 What new social structures come to reflect changes in the post Carolingian world especially within the aristocracy Key Points Three main issues to address A What happens to the Carolingian war machine in the shorter term B How does the new order that emerges in the ninth and tenth centuries itself change in the years around 1000 C What are the implications of these changes for the world of the aristocracy especially in terms of family stucture A What happens to the Carolingian war machine in the shorter term Vikings create need for immediate local based defence Royal powers bannum devolve onto regional aristocracies princes those who rule dukes counts bannum key to where true power now lies separate from private landowning but blurs into it privatization of power By later ninth century France 12 15 regional blocs Kings still there but less overall power watershed 887 8 Carolingian dynasty replaced in many parts of Europe in France Carolingians stage a comeback for a time but last west Frankish Carolingian king dies 987 new king Hugh Capet whence Capetian dynasty by tenth century king ignored in many parts of kingdom esp in south Then a second phase of political fragmentation in the decades either side of 1000 makes political reintegration impossible So the question becomes B How does the new order that emerges in the 10th and 11th centuries itself change in the years around 1000 In most parts of France atomization of power all areas affected Key characteristic huge growth in number of castles expressions of exclusive aristocratic power castellans often former lieutenants of regional warlords c 950 c 1100 go from handful of fortifications to thousands So what is a castle in this period Forget images of later medieval castles castle of 1000 simple small tower wood at first then stone donjons e g Beaugency appear early 11th C huge change to the human landscape tighter control of local peasantries customs in the process actually stimulates economic growth bannum devolves down to castellans Conventio between William of Aquitaine and Hugh of Lusignan castles the currency of local power politics William of Aquitaine represents public authority But power something to be bargained for William must use private contractual ties of vassalage Key consequence of atomization of power growth in violence but this hotly debated by modern historians how violent was France either side of 1000 lots of anecdotal evidence e g Andrew of Fleury on the Peace league of Bourges Sorde charter of c 1100 private vengeance as a norm Main clue that new more violent order is emerging knights New class start out as henchmen castle guards muscle for lords Hugh of Lusignan s Conventio knights just garrison thugs bodies So huge changes taking place in human landscape and social structures of postCarolingian world especially France But do these changes have deeper implications C What are the implications of these changes for the world of the aristocracy especially in terms of family stucture Main point blurring public and private power private resources therefore become instruments of political and social control main resource for an aristocrat is his family Importantly family structure undergoes a major shift around the same time castles begin to proliferate Shift from Sippe large clan of parentes characteristic of Carolingian nobility To narrow Geschlecht dynasty lineage narrower thinner sense of family now names assume the form X of N caput defines family fewer children get to inherit daughters just marriage alliance assets castles store them pattern typical of older husband younger wife often wife from higher status family Conclusion Scale and significance of these changes cannot be overstated Fundamental shifts occur in politics economics and social structures To repeat these changes are mostly evidenced in France but there are parallels throughout Europe What is emerging is broadly a pattern of aristocratic control of resources and power that will more or less persist until the 18th century Proper Nouns and Technical Terms bannum donjons cniht German Knecht Sippe Geschlecht parentes Key Images 1 donjon of Beaugency mid 11th century caput primogeniture 2 construction of a motte and bailey castle at Hastings in the Bayeux Tapestry 1070s 3 massed knights depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry 1070s 4 knight and servants depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry 1070s