Search

This article analyzes the proems and author's interventions in Walter Map's De nugis curialium, which constitute the author's poetic declarations and therefore allow us to understand the variety and diversity of textual typologies of his only surviving work.

Kraljevi iz dinastije Anjou-Plantagenet neizostavan su dio proučavanja engleske, ali i zapadnoeuropske povijesti razvijenog i kasnog srednjeg vijeka. Vladavina prvih Plantageneta ostavila je dubok trag na političkim, crkvenim i društvenim institucijama britanskog otoka. Ovaj rad prikazuje na temelju obrade relevantne literature pregled vladavine četvorice Plantageneta s naglaskom na unutrašnja zbivanja Engleskog kraljevstva, poput odnosa kraljevske vlasti s plemstvom i Crkvom te razvoj kraljevskog autoriteta u razdoblju razvijenog srednjeg vijeka. Nakon uvoda slijedi poglavlje u kojem se opisuju okolnosti dolaska Plantageneta na englesko prijestolje. U trećem poglavlju obrađena je vladavina Henrika II, rodonačelnika dinastije AnjouPlantagenet, kao i prikaz najvažnijih državnih reformi vezanih za administraciju, sudstvo i Crkvu. Nekoliko riječi je posvećeno i unutrašnjim obiteljskim neslaganjima koji navješćuju skori raspad Anžuvinskog „Carstva“. Četvrto poglavlje ocjenjuje vlast Rikarda Lavljeg Srca te pruža uvid u sukobljenost tradicionalne i recentnije historiografije u vezi dotičnog vladara. Peto poglavlje dotiče se Ivana Bez Zemlje i znamenite Magne Carte Libertatum, a povezuje ih klasičnim pristupom istraživanja uzroka i povoda određenog povijesnog događaja. Razloge ustanka baruna i donošenja Magne Carte traži se u pogreškama koje je učinio Ivan pri svojoj unutrašnjoj i vanjskoj politici, ali i njegovi prethodnici. Analizom dva članka Velike povelje određuje se njen značaj za temu ovog rada. Konačno, šesto poglavlje istražuje prirodu kraljevske vlasti Henrika III na koju je velik utjecaj imalo recentno proglašavanje Magne Carte, kao i engleski parlament koji svoje korijene nastanka i razvoja vuče u vrijeme vladavine ovog vladara.

Kraljevina Engleska ima dugu i burnu prošlost koja seže još u stoljeća ranog srednjeg vijeka. Ta je zemlja uvijek bila meta raznoraznih napadača i samim time mnogo godina veliko bojište na sjeveru. Svi ti ratovi polučili su velike vladare koji su vladali Engleskom i koji su je uvukli u vrtlog dinastičkih borbi, što je u konačnici rezultiralo time da Engleska postane normanska. Dolaskom Normana počinje preobrazba engleskog društva: kreće se s gradnjom velebnih zdanja diljem Engleske, proces feudalizacije u punom je jeku, novo plemstvo zauzima posjede Anglosasa, kako plemića tako i slobodnih seljaka, grade se i popravljaju ceste, a kraljev autoritet i njegova volja su zakon. Nakon smrti dvojice Vilima na tron stiže Henrik I., koji je unatoč tome što je naslijedio snažnu i dobro organiziranu državu odlučio još više poboljšati sistem državne uprave kako bi namaknuo sredstva u slučaju da mora vojevati u Francuskoj. Na taj je način stvorio organiziranu državu koja je de facto mogla funkcionirati bez ličnosti vladara unutar njezinih granica. Svi su ti napreci stavljeni na kušnju za vrijeme rata Matilde, kćeri Henrika I. i Stjepana od Bloisa, kada je Engleska gorjela u ratu te je na koncu rat polučio novog vladara i novu dinastiju Plantageneta.Druga polovica 12. stoljeća izuzetno je zanimljiva i napeta jer tada dolazi do velikih sukoba između crkvenih i svjetovnih vlasti. Iako je kralj Henrik II. unaprijedio englesku upravu, poboljšao privredu i proširio svoje posjede u Francuskoj, to je morao činiti uz velike namete i suzbijanje plemićke i crkvene moći. Samim time nastalo je napeto stanje u Engleskoj koje je privremeno završilo u korist Crkve. Tijekom 12. stoljeća u Engleskoj vlada križarski naboj koji je mamio ljude u križarske pohode pa i samog engleskog kralja Rikarda I., koji će svoju slavu steći upravo u Trećem križarskom pohodu i tada će do izražaja doći snaga engleske uprave i države koja je funkcionirala bez kralja.Kako godine prolaze, tako i Engleska polako počinje zapadati u razdoblje buna i građanskih ratova zbog lošeg vladareva vodstva i sve snažnijih magnata koji su kralja prisilili da potpiše Veliku povelju sloboda i time ograničili kraljevsku moć. Kasnije na prijestolje stižu vladari koji su bili izuzetno vezani za Crkvu te gradili brojna zdanja kako bi spasili svoju dušu, iako im pri tome nije smetalo da ratuju po Francuskoj i Škotskoj. Na samome koncu stoji veliki ustanak i rat za nezavisnost Škotske koji će ujedno označiti i kraj engleskog razvijenog srednjeg vijeka. The Kingdom of England has a long and turmoiled past that dates back to the Early Middle Ages, and this land has always been the target of various invaders and because of that was, for many years, a great battlefield in the north. All these wars gave great rulers who ruled England and who putt England into dynastic struggles which ultimately resulted with England becoming Norman. With the arrival of Normans the transformation of English society begins with the construction of magnificent buildings throughout England, the process of feudalization is in full swing, the new nobility occupies the possession of Anglo-Saxon nobility and free peasants and the will of monarch are the low. After the death of two Williams, Henry I came to the throne and despite the fact that he succeeded a strong and well-organized state, he decided to improve the state administration system with goal to make more money in case that he had to fight in France. In this way he created very organized state that de facto could function without the presence of the king within its boundaries. Of course all these advances were put to the test during the war of Matilda, daughter of Henry I, and Stephen of Blois, when England was in civil war. With the end of the war came the new ruler, Henry II and, consequently, the new Plantagenet dynasty. The second half of the 12th century is extremely interesting and tense because of the fight that broke between ecclesiastical and secular authorities. Even when the King Henry II upgraded the English administration, boosted the economy, and expanded its holdings in France, it had to do all that with great efforts and, in the same time, by suppressing the power of nobility and ecclesiastical circles. In this way he created a tense situation in England that was temporarily ended for the benefit of the Church. During the 12th century in England and all of Europe crusading was popular thing to do so the English King Richard I decided to go and make glory in the Third Crusade. In this period English administration will prove that England can function without the need of constant presence of the king in the Realm. As the years pass by, England is slowly starting to fall into the time of rebellions and civil wars because of the bad rulers and the more powerful magnates who in the end forced the king to sign Magna Carta Libertatum. Barons used this document to limit the royal power. Later on the throne came rulers who were closely attached to the Church and built many buildings to save their souls. Even that did not stop them to wage war in France and Scotland. At the very end, there is an uprising and war against neighbors on the same island which will also mark the end of the High Middle Ages.

Guglielmo II detto Rufo, terzogenito di Guglielmo il Conquistatore, fu re d'Inghilterra dal 1084 al 1100, anno della sua improvvisa morte. Ottimo comandante e animo battagliero, Guglielmo Rufo riuscì a rafforzare il regno inglese e passò gran parte della sua reggenza in guerra con suo fratello maggiore e in aperto contrasto con la Chiesa. Passerà poi alla storia, tramite soprattutto la descrizione che ne daranno le cronache immediatamente successive la sua morte, come uno dei peggiori re d'Inghilterra. Durante l'XI e il XII secolo Guglielmo Rufo diventa l'exemplum di tutto ciò che un re non sarebbe dovuto essere. Nessun aspetto della regalità gli appartiene: non la grazia, non la giustizia, non l'abilità di governo. Il ritratto di Guglielmo Rufo è creato da ecclesiastici che ben ricordano, e accusano, la sua condotta nei riguardi della Chiesa. In questo articolo sono ricostruite in breve le tappe attraverso le quali autori come Guglielmo di Malmesbury e Orderico Vitale hanno descritto Guglielmo Rufo; poi sono prese in analisi alcune opere del XII secolo, come quelle di Giovanni di Salisbury, Walter Map e Giraldo Cambrense, dove la figura del malvagio re inglese diventa metro di paragone e di confronto per la contemporaneità. Il re, la cui morte misteriosa fu un “atto di giustizia” divina, si trasforma da uomo in exemplum William II called Rufus - William the Conqueror‘s third-born - was king of England from 1084 until his unexpected death in 1100. Being an excellent captain and a brave warrior, William Rufus succeeded in strengthen the English kingdom. He spent most of his regency in war against his older brother, and in direct conflict with the Church. His name will be remembered by the History, especially through the annals written immediately after his death, as one of the worst kings of England. In the 11th and 12th centuries, William Rufus became the example of everything a sovereign should not be: he missed every aspect of the kingship. He did not show nor gracefulness nor justice nor capability of government. His memorial image was created by ecclesiasticals that well remembered and abhorred his behavior towards the Church. In this paper I will briefly reconstruct the steps through which authors such as William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis described William II. Moreover, I will analyse John of Salinsbury, Gerald of Wales and Walter Map's works of the 12th century. They present the portrait of the evil sovereign as a comparison tool for the contemporaneity - he became an exemplum and his death emerged as “divine justice”.

The present bachelor's thesis focuses on the analysis of the preserved correspondence and documents of Eleanor of Aquitaine. The first part outlines her life story from childhood on the ducal court of Aquitaine, through marriage to the French King Louis VII. to the new marriage with a young Henry Plantagenet and its impact on the English throne. The relationship between Eleanor and her sons, especially to Richard the Lionheart, is also mentioned in the first part. In addition to monographs, I used widely extant sources, especially chronicles. The view of contemporary historiography on the Queen's ties to culture, patronage and the issue of her power and authority in the course of her life is also refered to. The second part is a thematic typology of Eleanor's letters and documents. Based on the analysis of the current state of research, this thesis subsequently attempts to reconstruct the perception of contemporary events and their value hierarchy to prominent female member of the contemporary elite. The thesis furthermore focuses on the analysis of how the Queen titled herself. Key words: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Capetian House, Henry II., House of Plantagenet, Richard the Lionheart, John Lackland, Anjou Empire, correspondence, charters

In 1215, king of England John the Lackland was forced to seal a document known as Magna Carta. It was a simple legal procedure. Nevertheless it was the beginning of conflict between royal power and english nobility, commonly known as first baron's war. It lasted from 1215 to 1217 and it culminated by the invasion of french crown prince Louis to England when english nobility offered him the crown. After the death of king John in autumn 1216, the original revolt, inspired mostly by personal hate against the ruler changed into the effort of prince Louis to achieve the title of English king. Most of original memebers of the oposition quickly switched sides and joined John's little son Henry (king Henry III) and Louis then had only the support of few leaders of rebelion. After a series of defeats in the first half of 1217, capetian prince was forced to abandon his goals and to retreat from the Isles. This work also follows the view of selected contemporary narrative sources, mainly to the activity of french prince in England and his attitude to the uprising.

Cilj diplomske naloge je ugotoviti, kako se razvoj Anglije v srednjem veku razlikuje od ostale Evrope. Časovni okvir sega od normanske osvojitve do prihoda rodbine Tudor na angleški prestol. Osredotočila sem se torej na vladanje kraljev iz rodbine Plantagenetov, ter na napredek, ki so ga prinesli v deželo. Pri pisanju sem si pomagala predvsem z monografskimi publikacijami, delno pa tudi z različnimi enciklopedijami in internetnimi viri. Glavni vir je bilo delo avtorja Trevelyana Zgodovina Anglije, ki je že precej zastarelo, zato sem uporabljala tudi gradivo novejšega datuma, ki pa je večinoma v angleškem jeziku. Prvi del diplome vsebuje bolj splošne podatke in obravnava tipične probleme srednjega veka skozi perspektivo Anglije. V drugem delu je namenjeno nekaj prostora vsakemu od plantagenetskih kraljev, saj so si bili med sabo zelo različni in ne bi bilo korektno, če bi pisala le o sami rodbini, saj bi tako preveč posploševala. Skozi delo ugotovimo, da se na specifičen razvoj Anglije vplival predvsem izvor njenih plantagenetskih kraljev, ki je otok povezal s celino. Prav ta razdalja od centra Evrope pa je omogočila, da so se ideje s celine na otoku spremenile in prilagodile tamkajšnjim potrebam. Največja razlika med Anglijo in celino je vidna v razvoju prava, ki je neizbežno povezan z razvojem Cerkve in fevdalizma. This diploma is dedicated to the Plantagenet family. William the Conqueror won the legendary battle at Hastings in 1066, the battle for the English throne, and brought French culture and language to England. The Plantagenets’ ruled England for the first time in 12th century by Henry II. Their realm lasted until the deposition of Richard II. in 1399, when the sideline of Lancaster ruled for about 50 years, until it lost the war to the other sideline York in the famous War of Roses. Legal man line became extinct in 1499. Foreign clergy and a line of powerful kings helped to high development of England. They used feudalism not to divide the nation, as they did on the continent, but to unite it. They established a centralized country administration and unitary law system and also built the foundations of civilization, like universities, juries and others. The dynasty had a remarkable influence on the social and legal development of the country that was unique in Europe. They developed Common Law that made the legal system more fair for the commoners. They also established juries, which were not very similar to modern ones. This period means also the beginning of the English parliament. Even William the Conqueror consulted a small counsel and the successors continued with this tradition. In time, the great counsel expected to be part of every major decision. Edward I. summoned the first parliament that only included nobles. Two parts, the House of Commons that include commoners, and the House of Lords that include only lords, were founded. Feudalism in England had special characteristics because the land was so slowly conquered in times of William the Conqueror and the lords only got small, scattered pieces of land and not large ones. Domesday Book is truly a historical monument of that era because it contains an exact record of all the wealth in the country. The influence of Church rose in times of William the Conqueror, who allowed the separation of canonical and royal courts. That also influenced the development of Common Law. Henry II. forced the Clarendon constitutions that allowed clergy to be prosecuted by the royal court. His greatest opponent was Thomas Becket, who became a martyr and a saint after he was murdered. In the Plantagenet times two of the world’s famous universities were founded the university in Oxford and in Cambridge. Typical English culture, art, popular gothic style of architecture with its most famous examples, the Westminster Abbey and the York Cathedral, are the remains from Plantagenet era. Medieval England was different from the continent not only geographically but also in mind and development and was unique in the medieval times. Largely we can assign this to its unique historical development that allowed the appropriate conditions. England was far ahead compared to the rest of Europe in some areas and it took several centuries for other European countries to catch up. Of course England did not wait for the rest of the world instead it evolved and eventually became one of the most developed countries in the world.