Royal Bastards: The Birth of Illegitimacy, 800-1230 (Oxford Studies In Medieval European History)

La 4e de couverture de la jaquette indique : "The stigmatization as 'bastards' of children born outside of wedlock is commonly thought to have emerged early in Medieval European history. Christian ideas about legitimate marriage, it is assumed, set the standard for legitimate birth. Children born to anything other than marriage had fewer rights or opportunities. They certainly could not become king or queen. As this volume demonstrates, however, well into the late twelfth century, ideas of what made a child a legitimate heir had little to do with the validity of his or her parents' union according to the dictates of Christian marriage law. Instead a child's prospects depended upon the social status, and above all the lineage, of both parents. To inherit a royal or noble title, being born to the right father mattered immensely, but also being born to the right kind of mother. Such parents could provide the most promising futures for their children, even if doubt was cast on the validity of the parents' marriage. Only in the late twelfth century did children born to illegal marriages begin to suffer the same disadvantages as the children born to parents of mixed social status. Even once this change took place we cannot point to 'the Church' as instigator. Instead, exclusion of illegitimate children from inheritance and succession was the work of individual litigants who made strategic use of Christian marriage law. This new history of illegitimacy rethinks many long-held notions of medieval social, political, and legal history." The Stigmatisation As 'bastards' Of Children Born Outside Of Wedlock Is Commonly Thought To Have Emerged Early In Medieval European History, But Sara Mcdougall Demonstrates That Until Well Into The Late 12th-century A Child's Prospects Depended More Upon The Social Status And Lineage Of Both Parents Than Of The Legitimacy Of Their Marriage. The Language Of Illegitimacy In Medieval Europe -- The Carolingian Example : The Sons Of Concubines -- Illegitimacy And The Making Of Medieval Dynasties C.900- C.1050 -- Maternal Lineage And Anglo-norman Succession C.9500-c.1150 -- Canon Law, Canonists, And Bastards In The World Of Ivo Of Chartres -- Redefining Marriage And Illegitimacy C.1140-1200: Ideas And Practices -- Royal Bastards Of The Twelfth Century : The Monk-king Of Aragon's Daughter, The Abbess-countess Of Boulogne's Daughter, And Tancred Of Lecce -- Illegitimacy And Legitimation In The Thirteenth Century : Pope Innocent Iii, King Philip Ii , And Emperor Frederick Ii -- Scandal In Jerusalem: Royal Succession And Illegitimacy -- Saint Fernando Iii: The Bastard King Of León. Sara Mcdougall. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The stigmatization as 'bastards' of children born outside of wedlock is commonly thought to have emerged early in Medieval European history, but Sara McDougall demonstrates that until well into the late twelfth century a child's prospects depended more upon the social status and lineage of both parents than of the legitimacy of their marriage