Powicke on the Lord Edward

Reference 1 being a book which I bought from the Kingston Oxfam shop for £5.99, maybe as long as ten years ago. A book which has been dipped into from time to time, rather than read. So far resulting in references 2, 3 and 4.

I have dipped again this week and offer two snippets.

During the regency of William the Marshall, the Earl of Pembroke, during the minority of Henry III, it became necessary to ban a proposed tournament at Blyth, on the grounds that it might disturb the realm, only recently settled down after the civil wars. Presumably the one a few miles north of Worksop, rather than the one on the coast, in the wilds of Northumberland.

It seems that tournaments were very violent and very popular among the upper classes. An opportunity to shine, perhaps to capture valuable arms, armour and horses, perhaps to capture prisoners who could be ransomed, according to the regular rules. The Marshall himself had been very successful in tournaments in his salad days.

The church tried to ban them, but that was never going to work. Richard I did try to confine them to five designated tourney grounds, generally an area of open ground out in the country, but within reasonable reach of a town with inns and so forth. He also indulged in a spot of regulation with charges, fees and rules. It seems that tournaments were popular attractions, rather like the fairs then or the races now, and all kinds of people used to turn up and there were all kinds of goings on. No doubt a revenue opportunity, something no medieval king could afford to turn up.

Despite Richard I's efforts, Edward I had to go further, banning the use of heavy armour, pointed swords, daggers, staffs and maces. Too many important people were getting themselves killed.

Gradually, over the centuries, the upper classes switched to hunting and racing, with only the last mentioned now being allowed. With duelling having been a temporary aberration. So how on earth do they let off steam when they are young now? Do they have to make do with gambling, not mentioned by Powicke?

Second snippet, the invention of parliaments. It seems that at the time of the Conqueror, his companions in arms, by then his vassals, gave their assent, in assembly, to proposals to tax. All the vassals to be taxed had to be present to give their assent in person. Proposals to tax to pay for a good fight in France (or perhaps Scotland or perhaps, faute de mieux, Ireland) were generally more popular than proposals to tax to support the King's household expenses.

But this was all a bit cumbersome and gradually, this requirement for assent was weakened. The king would call an assembly, giving reasonable time, place and notice. He would then ask the assembly about a tax. If those present at the assembly agreed to the tax, then that tax was then binding on all, whether or not they had bothered to turn up to the assembly. Quite a big departure at the time.

Powicke has not yet gone into the details of how the assembly voted, about, for example, whether unanimity was required.

PS: what did the Greeks and Romans do? I don't think they did tournaments.

Reference 1: King Henry III and the Lord Edward: the community of the realm in the thirteenth century - F. M. Powicke - 1947. In two volumes.

Reference 2: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/search?q=bellow+powicke.

Reference 3: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/search?q=walter+scott+powicke.

Reference 4: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/search?q=armagnac+escrow.

Reference 5: http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/plantagenet_57.html. Handy history of the Marshall. He died a Templar and was buried in Temple Church, due to be next visited next month.

Reference 6: http://psmv3.blogspot.com/2016/09/knights-in-armour.html. The first visit, prompted by P. D. James, not F. M. Powicke.