Origins of English Feudalism

R. Allen Brown

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780367209346
• eBook ISBN: 9780429559259
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Originally published in 1973, Origins of English Feudalism suggests that English feudalism has, for a long time, been the most controversial and thereby the most highly technical aspect of English medieval history. The book contains relevant sources that will be of use to readers and will allow them to study documentary, literary and archaeological sources from the medieval period. The debate over the establishment of feudalism in pre-Conquest England involves not only the question of the presence or absence of fief, but also of knights and cavalry, castles and vassilic commendation. This book will be of interest to academics and the ease of use and careful division of sources, will be of interest to students.

ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: THE MEDIEVAL WORLD

Volume 7

ORIGINS OF ENGLISH FEUDALISM

ORIGINS OF ENGLISH FEUDALISM

R. ALLEN BROWN

First published in 1973 by George Allen & Unwin Ltd

This edition first published in 2020

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

and by Routledge

52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

© 1973 George Allen & Unwin Ltd

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-0-367-22090-7 (Set)

ISBN: 978-0-429-27322-3 (Set) (ebk)

ISBN: 978-0-367-20920-9 (Volume 7) (hbk)

ISBN: 978-0-429-26422-1 (Volume 7) (ebk)

Publisher’s Note

The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent.

Disclaimer

The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace.

ORIGINS OF ENGLISH FEUDALISM

R. Allen Brown

M.A., D.Phil., F.S.A.

Reader in History, King’s College, London

First published in 1973

This book is copyright under the Berne Convention. All rights are reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, 1956, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be addressed to the publishers.

© George Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1973

British isbn: 0 04 901020 4 hardback

British isbn: 0 04 901021 2 paperback

Published in the USA 1973 by:

HARPER & ROW PUBLISHERS, INC.

BARNES & NOBLE IMPORT DIVISION

ISBN 06-490732-5 hardback only

Printed in Great Britain

in 10 point Plantin type

by Cox & Wyman Ltd

London, Fakenham and Reading

TO MURIEL

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The reader and the teacher of history might be forgiven for thinking that there are now too many series of historical documents in existence, all claiming to offer light on particular problems and all able to fulfil their claims. At any rate, the general editor of yet another series feels obliged to explain why he is helping one more collection of such volumes into existence.

One purpose of this series is to put at the disposal of the student original materials illustrating historical problems, but this is no longer anything out of the way. A little less usual is the decision to admit every sort of historical question: there are no barriers of time or place or theme. However, what really distinguishes this enterprise is the fact that it combines generous collections of documents with introductory essays long enough to explore the theme widely and deeply. In the doctrine of educationalists, it is the original documents that should be given to the student; in the experience of teachers, documents thrown naked before the untrained mind turn from pearls to paste. The study of history cannot be confined either to the learning up of results without a consideration of the foundations, or to a review of those foundations without the assistance of the expert mind. The task of teaching involves explanation and instruction, and these volumes recognize this possibly unfashionable fact. Beyond that, they enable the writers to say new and important things about their subject matter: to write history of an exploratory kind, which is the only important historical writing there is.

As a result, each volume will be a historical monograph worth the attention which all such monographs deserve, and each volume will stand on its own. While the format of the series is uniform, the contents will vary according to need. Some problems require the reconsideration which makes the known enlighteningly new; others need the attention of original research; yet others will have to enter controversy because the prevailing notions on many historical questions are demonstrably wrong. The authors of this series are free to treat their subject in whatever manner it seems to them to require. They will present some of their evidence for inspection and help the learner to see how history is written, but they will themselves also write history.

G.R.E.

PREFACE

It is probably too much to hope that this slim volume might bring the glad cry of ‘Game, Set and Match’ in the too prolonged controversy over the origins of English feudalism. One fears it will not, if only because it is necessary to define your feudalism before arguing about it, and thus possible to alter the rules before beginning any new game or set in the interminable match. At least it may be felt that the volume belongs appropriately to a series devoted to Historical Problems, and that it is a good thing at last to have, gathered together in one place, and in translation, all those documents and pieces of evidence constantly cited and bandied about by the disputants, but seldom if ever seen, let alone read, by the willing but bewildered student. As for the Introduction, I have always felt and said that this subject was the pons assinorum among weekly ess...

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