Kingship and Consent in Anglo-Saxon England, 871-978: Assemblies and the State in the Early Middle Ages (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series)

This engaging new study focuses on the role of assemblies in later Anglo-Saxon politics, challenging and nuancing existing models of the late Anglo-Saxon state. Its ten chapters investigate both traditional constitutional aspects of assemblies - who attended these events, where and when they met, and what business they conducted - and the symbolic and representational nature of these gatherings. Levi Roach takes into account important recent work on continental rulership, and argues that assemblies were not a check on kingship in these years, but rather an essential feature of it. In particular, the author highlights the role of symbolic communication at assemblies, arguing that ritual and demonstration were as important in English politics as they were elsewhere in Europe. Far from being exceptional, the methods of rulership employed by English kings look very much like those witnessed elsewhere on the continent, where assemblies and ritual formed an essential part of the political order List of maps vii List of tables viii Acknowledgements ix List of abbreviations xi 1. Introduction: assembling consent in late ninth- and tenth-century England 1 Absent assemblies: the historiography of the Anglo-Saxon 'national assembly' 1 Assembly politics and the formation of the 'kingdom of the English', 871–978 6 Kingship, assemblies and the 'late Anglo-Saxon state' 11 Assemblies and rituals: continental contributions and anthropological approaches 14 Defining assemblies: outline and scope of the study 20 2. Assembly attendance 27 Assembly attendance in the 'kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons', 871–909×925 29 Assembly attendance in the 'kingdom of the English', c. 925–978 32 Conclusions 43 3. Meeting places and times of assemblies 45 Locating meaning: the meeting places of the 'witan', 871–978 45 'Diplomatic' meetings 48 'Legislative' meetings 53 'Dispositive' meetings 54 'Diplomatic', 'legislative' and 'dispositive' assemblies: the relationship revisited 64 Preliminary conclusions 67 Meeting times, duration and frequency of assemblies 71 4. Royal charters and assemblies 77 Diploma production and assemblies 78 Diplomas and assembly politics 89 Conclusions 101 5. Legislation and consent: law-making and assembly politics 104 The 'witan' and the law 107 Law-codes and royal administration 113 The 'witan' and the law: preliminary conclusions 121 6. The 'witan' and the settlement of disputes 122 Dispute settlement in Anglo-Saxon charters 124 Dispute settlement in house chronicles 137 Law-codes, dispute settlement and the 'witan': conclusions 143 7. The 'further business' of the 'witan' 147 Consensus, assemblies and the administration of the realm 148 Conclusions 159 8. Symbols in context: ritual and demonstration at assemblies 161 Rites and rituals at assemblies 162 Ritual and ceremony at and beyond assemblies 173 Emotional displays 174 Symbolizing community and hierarchy 176 Rituals of petition and intercession 184 'Rites de passage' and the distribution of gifts and offices 190 Ritual and demonstration at assemblies: preliminary conclusions 194 9. Ritual and reality: the problem of the sources 195 Ritual and symbolism beyond narrative sources 196 The sources of ritual 202 Conclusions 208 10. The role of the 'witan': celebration and persuasion 212 Kingship and consent: the 'witan' and the late Anglo-Saxon state 213 Rituals and assemblies in England and on the continent 227 Assemblies and kingship in England, 871–978: final observations 235 Appendix: Meetings of the 'witan', 871–978 239 Locatable meetings of the 'witan' 239 Dated meetings of the 'witan' 243 Bibliography 244 Index 292 In the first dedicated treatment of Anglo-Saxon assembly politics since the 1950s, Roach takes into account recent discussions of continental rulership in the early Middle Ages. He investigates the constitutional aspects of assemblies and the symbolic and representational nature of these gatherings, and challenges existing models of the late Anglo-Saxon state. This Is An Engaging New Study Of How Kingship And Royal Government Operated In The Late Anglo-saxon Period.