This thesis employs a gendered reading of contemporary accounts in order to investigate the Angevin royal family within the framework of medieval concepts of masculinity. The primary focus is the processes involved in the transition from childhood to youth to fully masculine adulthood as experienced by male members of the royal family over two generations. It examines the lived experiences of Henry II and his four sons as well as the ideologies within which their activities and conduct was understood. The aim is to discover any patterns of behaviour that can be seen either to be repeated by other family members or that might have directly or indirectly affected the behaviour of others. This could work either positively or negatively as they went about establishing an adult male status. The emphasis is on the processes by which young males of the royal family established an adult male identity, any problems that might have hampered that process and any events that may have expedited their progression into adult society. Researching not only the kings but also other male members of the royal family allows comparisons between ideal kingly masculinity and the masculine behaviours expected of lesser royal males. There were a wide variety of masculine models including those associated with kingship, royalty, nobility and family relationships. Becoming a man in medieval noble or royal society was not a simple matter of becoming old enough, or physically large or mature enough. Instead it required a display of correct behaviour patterns that persisted throughout adult life. As such it was possible that an individual may never be seen as an adult by his peers or his subjects. This would be detrimental to his ability to perform his social role as a leader. Therefore gender, masculinity or manliness, are vital to our understanding of the every day lives of the men under investigation.

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This thesis examines the effect of population losses from outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague on capital investment for labor saving technology in England. The cities in Middlesex and Norfolk advance the economy in their surrounding areas. Northumberland's access to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne did not house as much wealth for Coquetdale and Glendale. However, Edward I's constant investment in the recently acquired Scottish territory provided the area with income from the crown. While the decrease in population was catastrophic and presented social turmoil, the surviving population continued to make economic adjustments. The economic adaptations provided relief to a strained population. Trade should have diminished along the same rate as population. Mills, therefore, also should have decreased in a similar manner. However, commerce increased faster than the population in areas of England. As this study has shown, people were extracting loans and maintaining mills in the hundreds and wards. The continued investigations into milling property highlights the interest from local creditors. The number of mills did not decrease at the same rate as the population after the last outbreak of plague. Milling represented an industry of innovation in various areas of England.

Identity in the Middle Ages encompassed numerous methods of transmission. Those of which that survive today include artwork, architecture, and written sources. In the case of written sources, the nobility and the clergy dominated the narrative to a substantial degree. Chroniclers of the Holy Roman Empire in specific saw both regional and pan-imperial narratives influence this identity through the exploration of historical figures. The medieval duchy of Bavaria fell into this milieu but experienced a substantially different relationship with its nobility from the twelfth century onward. The more condensed and consolidated format of medieval Bavaria under the Wittelsbach dynasty – as well as conscious efforts to project said configuration backward through history via chronicles – resulted in a uniquely Bavarian aristocratic identity into the early modern period. This aristocratic identity was the result of chroniclers' pedagogical and didactic intention across laity and clergy in informing the mores and values of the Bavarian nobility, in addition to the history of their institution. Through Latin and later vernacular chronicles, courtiers and clergy expressed the veneration or damnation of key historical figures in Bavarian history to instill values and sets of ideal behaviors by the end of the fifteenth century. This thesis explores the changing narratives of three such figures, all of whom acted as thematic antagonists to prominent German kings and emperors: Tassilo III, Arnulf the Bad, and Henry the Lion. Ultimately, the widespread virtues of piety, respect for the clergy, and subservience to the emperor formed the main pillars of Bavarian aristocratic identity. However, Bavarian chroniclers required preexisting clerical traditions of chronicling, as well as adherence to the official narratives of the house of Wittelsbach, in order to fit these dissenting historical figures into a usable symbolic context.

When one thinks of great kings, and more specifically of great kings of the early medieval period, there are a few names that almost immediately come to mind. Charlemagne is perhaps the first great medieval ruler one may mention. Alfred the Great would likely not be far behind. Both these men represented, for their respective peoples, what a great king should be. The early medieval period was a time of development in thought and in practice for the office of kingship, and the writings and actions of the men of this period would have a profound influence in the following centuries. Most nations can look back at the early medieval period and pick out at least one ruler that symbolized the ideal of kingship, and Ireland is no different. For early medieval Ireland, the king that stood as the ideal was Brian Boru. This thesis will be examining Brian as a model of early medieval kingship. My argument is that Brian's kingship not only represented the ideal of kingship in a comparable manner to Charlemagne and Alfred, but also blended traditional Irish kingship with models of kingship from the rest of Europe that altered the concept of the High King of Ireland. To do this, this thesis will be examining Brian within three regions of Europe, each receiving its own chapter, and how he fits into the respective ideals of kingship for each region. The three regions utilized by this thesis are Ireland, Frankia and England, and Scandinavia. Through this, this thesis will argue of the similarities between the kings of these regions regarding what caused them to be seen as great kings and models of kingship, and how Brian's own kingship fits into the criteria. This research will serve as an analysis of the concept of early medieval kingship outside of the traditional areas of study, comparing them and examining how each influenced the other, using Brian as the lens of focus.

This thesis examines the interaction between the conflicting ideologies of crusade and commerce, during the period when the Turkish maritime emirates of Anatolia became the primary target of western crusading endeavour. Through the close study of papal documents and archival evidence from the Italian mercantile republics, two principal areas are focussed on: firstly, the extent to which the temporal and spiritual mechanisms (e.g. trade licences and indulgences) introduced by the popes of the fourteenth century encouraged the Italian mercantile republics to participate in a crusade; secondly, the analysis of the policies of commercial exchange and military opposition adopted by the Latin states with regard to the Turks in the Aegean. The crusades in the Aegean are discussed in six chapters which broadly reflect the activities of the principal participants: 1) crusade negotiations during the pontificates of Clement V and John XXII: distractions to an Aegean crusade under Clement V; extrication from French influence under John XXII; gradual replacement of Byzantium as a target of the Aegean crusades during the 1320s; and the temporal and spiritual concessions granted by the popes to those Latin resisting the Turks in the Aegean; 2) the Zaccaria of Chios: their defence of the Aegean from Turkish attacks and the privileges they received from the papacy for this; 3) Venetian commercial activities in the Aegean: their alliances with and activities against the various Turkish emirates; 4) the 1334 naval league: the first anti-Turkish coalition; 5) the neglect of the Aegean crusades under Pope Benedict XII (1335-1342); 6) the Crusade of Smyrna and the climax of Latin efforts against the Turks in the first half of the fourteenth century (1343-1351). Although trade and crusade have often been regarded as incompatible by historians of the crusades (such as Stephen Runciman and Aziz Atiya), they both formed an integral, and inseparable, aspect of crusade policy and of western perceptions of the Turks.

The Gilbertine order was unusual in that it was founded for both men and women who lived in adjacent enclosures. The order had its origins in the Lincolnshire village of Sempringham where St Gilbert founded the order in the 1130s. The canons followed the rule of St Augustine and the nuns the rule of St Benedict. The history of the order has been extensively researched by Brian Golding from its foundation until the beginning of the fourteenth century. However, there has been little substantial research on the order in the period from the fourteenth century until its dissolution in 1539. This dissertation continues the work carried out by Golding and examines the later years of the order’s history and its dissolution. The main themes of this work are the recruitment of men and women into the order during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the spiritual lives of the nuns, the impact of the dissolution on the lives of the men and women of the order, and their careers after the dissolution. The study will show that in common with other religious orders there was a decline in the popularity of the Gilbertines in the later Middle Ages, and also a relaxation of the rules the nuns followed. In the period after the dissolution, the thesis will demonstrate that the social and economic position of former Gilbertine canons was much better than that of former nuns.

This thesis examines French efforts to project their power onto Britain during the Middle Ages, engaging the Welsh as their partners. The subsequent chapters contribute fresh analysis on a range of leaders and periods. This has been done using new theories, particularly military ones, and pushes the boundaries of this area of studies. The concepts of ‘bracketing alliances’ and the strategy of ‘cultivate and eradicate’ have been introduced and applied to this research. In addition, the thesis includes works not commonly found in such a study; reaching outside the field to help clarify points of analysis. For example, Sun Tzu has been included to demonstrate that medieval rulers were practising the most effective methods of warfare, as we recognise them today. Also, by applying modern diplomatic theory, such as ‘Soft Power’, this research not only gives these ideas a wider conceptual use but also connects and makes relevant medieval events to the modern world. On a broader level, these French-Welsh links demand wider exposure, whether from the perspective of the French attempting to articulate their power within Britain or the Welsh playing a role on the continental stage. This thesis presents new perceptions of these leaders, the conflicts of their times, their diplomatic initiatives and the power relations of the age. Its primary thrusts, therefore, are the dissection of the form and impact of these diplomatic and military relations, focussing on French efforts to project their power onto Britain at moments when friendship was co-ordinated with Welsh leaders. In recognition of the many subjects researched, and to borrow shamelessly from William of Malmesbury, and certainly others, I give note; ‘uolo enim hoc opus esse multarum historiarum breuiarium.’1

The double monasteries of seventh-century England have long been a problematic institution for historical interpretation. The purpose of this project is an attempt to place these institutions in relation to the ecclesiastical controversies of seventh-century England. Archbishop Theodore, who wished to reform the Anglo-Saxon church, challenged the role of the double monasteries. The attack on the double monasteries was instituted along gendered lines by evoking religious traditions that called into question the legitimacy of cooperation between monastic men and women. However, this position was not universally accepted. Aldhelm of Malmesbury’s De Virginitate provides a theological defense for the double monastery by constructing a competing notion of gender relations that emphasized cooperative relationships. The conclusions of this study show that there were competing conceptions of gender relations in seventh-century England and that active cooperation between the sexes in a monastic environment was sometimes considered to be possible, and even preferable.