How the west was won: the Norman dukes and the Cotentin, c.987–1087
This paper addresses a neglected aspect of the political and geographical development of the duchy of Normandy between c.987 and 1087: the expansion of the dukes' authority into the Cotentin peninsula. As narratives conceal more than they reveal about this process, ducal acta are the principal means of understanding it. In particular, the article examines the composition and use of the ducal demesne (and includes an appendix listing the lands that appear as demesne before 1087 and describing their subsequent descent). In addition, the essay looks at the men the duke recruited as supporters, the role of ducal women as ‘deputies’ in the Cotentin, and the motives of the leading rebels who fought against Duke William at the battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047, which have not previously been subject to close scrutiny. Comparisons are made with other parts of northern France or England, where appropriate, and the conclusions reached are relevant not just to William the Conqueror's rule in England, but also to wider arguments about how theoretical power was turned into reality.
Power and Statebuilding in the Anglo-Norman World: An Overview
This paper explores, in the context of the Anglo-Norman world, some of the characteristics implicit in ideas of the state: relatively fixed frontiers, a sovereign authority with the power to maintain justice, raise taxes and deploy armies, and to command the allegiance of its inhabitants. Normandy and England are considered both separately and together as an “empire”. New research areas and themes relating to power and statebuilding are considered: the role of the ruler’s wife, ritual and display, the architectural context of power, and of the importance of cities, especially London. The need for a wider approach to the history of power away from the history of kings, including lords and ecclesiastics, is stressed, and developments within a British context, in Wales and Scotland, are briefly considered. The paper concludes by emphasizing the fragility of developments: statebuilding was not consistent or inevitable. Twelfth-century Normandy itself illustrates some of the ambiguities of defining states and statebuilding in this era.
Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability in Afghanistan
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