The twelfth-century borderlands of the duchy of Normandy formed the cockpit for dynastic rivalries between the kings of England and France. This 2004 book examines how the political divisions between Normandy and its neighbours shaped the communities of the Norman frontier. It traces the region's history from the conquest of Normandy in 1106 by Henry I of England, to the duchy's annexation in 1204 by the king of France, Philip Augustus, and its incorporation into the Capetian kingdom. It explores the impact of the frontier upon princely and ecclesiastical power structures, customary laws, and noble strategies such as marriage, patronage and suretyship. Particular attention is paid to the lesser aristocracy as well as the better known magnates, and an extended appendix reconstructs the genealogies of thirty-three prominent frontier lineages. The book sheds light upon the twelfth-century French aristocracy, and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of medieval political frontiers.

This 2004 book provides a detailed study of Normandy's frontiers in the twelfth century.

About the Author
Daniel Power is Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Sheffield. He is the author of numerous articles on France and England in the central Middle Ages and co-editor of Frontiers in Question: Eurasian Borderlands 700-1700 (Macmillan, 1999).

Reviews
Review of the hardback: 'This is a splendid book, weighty, richly documented and densely argued. ... the book is well written and carefully structured ... This is an important book which makes a major contribution to the study of the political history, the governance and administration, and the aristocratic society, not only of Normandy and the Angevin Empire, but also of Capetian France in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.' Reviews in History



Book Information
ISBN 9780521089586
Author Daniel Power
Format Paperback
Page Count 664
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 960g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 37mm