World History
Constitutionalism and the Cloister: Matthew Paris and the Crisis of Royal Monastic Patronage in Thirteenth Century England. This is from the Winter 2005 Michigan Journal of History. It was written by Jason Colman.
From the site:
On May 14, 1264, the armies of King Henry III of England lined up near a castle named Lewes to face the forces of the Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort. On the high ground were Simon and other English barons, who were in open rebellion against King Henry. Henry III was the fourth Plantagenet king of England , a line begun by his grandfather, Henry II (r.1154-1189), who had established a great empire on the Continent. Henry III's barons took arms against him because of the King's refusal to uphold Magna Carta and the Provisions of Oxford, two agreements reached between the Crown and the barons to place limits on royal power. Led by the Crown Prince, Edward Longshanks, the royal forces outnumbered the barons significantly. On the side of the rebellious magnates ? at least in spirit ? were the monks of the abbey of St Albans , a heretofore royal establishment. In a matter of two decades, the monastery had gone from total identification with the monarchy to supporting a rebellion against the Crown. How could such a change have come about? What could have led the monks to oppose the King? Before attempting to answer these questions, it is first necessary to understand something of the history of the Benedictine monastic tradition to which St Albans belonged.
From the seventh century to the twelfth, the Black Monks of Saint Benedict (so called because of the dark color of their robes) and their offshoots were undoubtedly the dominant force in Western Christian monasticism and also one of the central influences behind the spiritual and intellectual development of society. Across the Continent and the British Isles , the Benedictines founded abbeys and lived together ? at least theoretically ? under the guidance of the famous Rule of Saint Benedict . Their great houses were home to hundreds of religious men and women, and their wealth was exceeded only by the wealthiest of barons. Naturally, the Benedictines did not simply arise from a vacuum. They evolved out of what began as an Eastern way of holiness in the third century of the Common Era.
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Edward I The origins of the modern British parliament can be traced to the reign of two medieval English kings: Edward I (1239–1307) and Edward II (1284–1327). Parliament had its roots in the king’s Great Council, a primarily judicial...
- Henry Ii - King Of England
Henry II - King of England Henry II was the first of the Plantagenet kings of England, reigning from 1154 to 1189. He was born in 1133 in LeMans, France. From his mother, Matilda, he inherited a claim to the English throne, as she was the daughter of...
- Magna Carta
Magna Carta Rebellious barons required that King John of England approve the Magna Carta (Latin for “the Great Charterâ€) in 1215. Many consider the document to be the foundation of English constitutional government and individual liberties....
- Magna Carta Tops British Day Poll
What is the best time to celebrate Britishness? According to a poll by the BBC, it is June 15th. This is the day that the Magna Carta imposed on King John in 1215 by rebel barons limited the power of the King and gave ordinary people rights under common...
World History
Constitutionalism and the Cloister: Matthew Paris and the Crisis of Royal Monastic Patronage in Thirteenth Century England
Constitutionalism and the Cloister: Matthew Paris and the Crisis of Royal Monastic Patronage in Thirteenth Century England. This is from the Winter 2005 Michigan Journal of History. It was written by Jason Colman.
From the site:
On May 14, 1264, the armies of King Henry III of England lined up near a castle named Lewes to face the forces of the Earl of Leicester, Simon de Montfort. On the high ground were Simon and other English barons, who were in open rebellion against King Henry. Henry III was the fourth Plantagenet king of England , a line begun by his grandfather, Henry II (r.1154-1189), who had established a great empire on the Continent. Henry III's barons took arms against him because of the King's refusal to uphold Magna Carta and the Provisions of Oxford, two agreements reached between the Crown and the barons to place limits on royal power. Led by the Crown Prince, Edward Longshanks, the royal forces outnumbered the barons significantly. On the side of the rebellious magnates ? at least in spirit ? were the monks of the abbey of St Albans , a heretofore royal establishment. In a matter of two decades, the monastery had gone from total identification with the monarchy to supporting a rebellion against the Crown. How could such a change have come about? What could have led the monks to oppose the King? Before attempting to answer these questions, it is first necessary to understand something of the history of the Benedictine monastic tradition to which St Albans belonged.
From the seventh century to the twelfth, the Black Monks of Saint Benedict (so called because of the dark color of their robes) and their offshoots were undoubtedly the dominant force in Western Christian monasticism and also one of the central influences behind the spiritual and intellectual development of society. Across the Continent and the British Isles , the Benedictines founded abbeys and lived together ? at least theoretically ? under the guidance of the famous Rule of Saint Benedict . Their great houses were home to hundreds of religious men and women, and their wealth was exceeded only by the wealthiest of barons. Naturally, the Benedictines did not simply arise from a vacuum. They evolved out of what began as an Eastern way of holiness in the third century of the Common Era.
- Blanche Of Castile
Blanche of CastileBlanche was born in Palencia, present-day Spain, the third daughter of Alfonso VIII, the king of Castile, and Eleanor, daughter of English king Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. She married Louis VIII (1187–1226) of France,...
- Edward I And Ii
Edward I The origins of the modern British parliament can be traced to the reign of two medieval English kings: Edward I (1239–1307) and Edward II (1284–1327). Parliament had its roots in the king’s Great Council, a primarily judicial...
- Henry Ii - King Of England
Henry II - King of England Henry II was the first of the Plantagenet kings of England, reigning from 1154 to 1189. He was born in 1133 in LeMans, France. From his mother, Matilda, he inherited a claim to the English throne, as she was the daughter of...
- Magna Carta
Magna Carta Rebellious barons required that King John of England approve the Magna Carta (Latin for “the Great Charterâ€) in 1215. Many consider the document to be the foundation of English constitutional government and individual liberties....
- Magna Carta Tops British Day Poll
What is the best time to celebrate Britishness? According to a poll by the BBC, it is June 15th. This is the day that the Magna Carta imposed on King John in 1215 by rebel barons limited the power of the King and gave ordinary people rights under common...