Because the sheriffs of late twelfth-century England played such a crucial role in maintaining law and order and in collecting royal revenue, the way that the king managed this position, either directly or through his justiciars, provides insight into his administrative competence. In the case of Richard I of England (1189-1199), to whom historians generally ascribe negative attributes, royal appointments to shrievalties indicate that Richard concerned himself with this local office, chose capable and loyal men, and used the office wisely as a means of raising much needed money. Furthermore, the justiciars named by King Richard governed well while in power, skillfully safeguarding the kingdom and doing so in large measure through judicious shrieval appointments. / The majority of those used as sheriffs did not, contrary to commonly held views, originate in the curial class; and even though secular and ecclesiastical magnates served the king in this capacity, they made up only a small minority. Instead, the typical sheriff for Richard I was a man of local stature but who had limited contacts at the royal court. Nevertheless, it was those from the curial and magnate classifications who benefitted most from the distribution of royal patronage. Remarkably, possession of a shrievalty did not provide the advantage expected for someone with such frequent access to the sources of power. / The view of Richard I as an irresponsible and unconcerned monarch, therefore, must be altered, for he fits well into the type of administrative kingship modeled by the Angevin family as a whole. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-03, Section: A, page: 1059. / Major Professor: Ralph V. Turner. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1993.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_76883 |
| Contributors | Heiser, Richard Russell., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 405 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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