An investigation of two English-born medieval archbishops of Dublin and their role in introducing Anglo-Norman secular and ecclesiastical institutions into Ireland after the initial subduing of Ireland under King Henry II of England is the aim of this dissertation. The development of the Anglo-Irish government into an appendage of the royal administration is examined by the use of numerous ecclesiastical and temporal contemporary sources. The growth of the Irish administration and the introduction of specialized administrative officers are related to the efforts of these two men, John Cumin and Henry of London, to introduce Anglo-Norman ways in Ireland. Their work as ecclesiastics was also a means to normanize the Irish country and people through the introduction of fashionable Norman religious orders, the institution of the secular prebendal college, and the reformation of the Irish church. / In the past the history of the Norman invasion of Ireland has been approached from a political standpoint; however, it is much more profitable to address the many complex issues surrounding the movement of the Normans into Ireland from a variety of sources and viewpoints. In order to use these sources most effectively, it is necessary to understand the intricate involvement of church and state under the Angevin kings. Henry II and his sons needed royal servants to staff their civil administration. This administration had become increasingly important to them; no longer were the military advisors and strategists the mainstay of the kingdom, for without their civil servants, the kings would not possess the means to carry on their wars. Bishops, abbots, and other clerics were used by the Angevin kings as clerks, itinerant justices, and even occasionally as sheriffs. John Cumin and Henry of London had been royal servants for many years before they assumed the duties of the archbishop of Dublin, and they had both been archdeacons in England, a post that was often used in this period as a source of income for clerical royal servants. / The archbishops of Dublin were typical clerical civil servants; they had both worked as royal administrators, judges, diplomats, and royal messengers. In Ireland, they were key figures in the building of Anglo-Norman government in the Norman-controlled regions. John Cumin's quarrels with the king's officials caused him to play a lesser part in the administration of Ireland than Henry of London, who had resolved similar problems more easily. Henry of London's service as justiciar illustrates the heights of secular involvement reached by the ecclesiastical civil servant under the Angevin kings in Ireland. As justiciar, Henry was engaged in the usual pursuits of a lord governor; he was as actively engaged in building castles as he was in constructing churches, he was the chief financial officer of Ireland, and the king's representative in all of his Irish affairs. However, he was also the representative of the English church in Ireland and equally active in the institution of acceptable practices and offices into the ecclesiastical sphere, as was his predecessor, John Cumin. The archbishops of Dublin were exceedingly valuable to the Angevins because they served as a means to introduce Norman institutions to both church and civil government in Ireland. Each of these primarily Norman establishments would serve as a repository of Anglo-Norman civilization in Ireland, and contribute to the melding of Irish and Norman culture. The Angevin kings of England realized that one cannot conquer by the sword alone, and the roles of the archbishops of Dublin demonstrate this precept. The archbishops of Dublin were as important in the conquering of Ireland as the military leaders, if not more so since their influence extended not only into temporal affairs but also into the spiritual realm. This study reveals the importance of these men in achieving the eventual submission of most of Ireland to the Norman order. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-10, Section: A, page: 4471. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74318 |
| Contributors | PRIMELLES, DIANA L., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 171 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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