<論説>アングロ＝ノルマン王国における貴族

Abstract

J・ル＝バトゥーレルによる「ノルマン帝国」論は従来のイングランド一国史観を大きく転換させた。ノルマン＝コンクェストにより成立した英仏海峡にまたがる王国「アングロ＝ノルマン王国」は、ル＝パトゥーレルの主張するように、中世イングランドとノルマンディーを一体化・密着させたのだろうか。現代と異なる中世国家を人的結合国家ととらえるならば、その指標となるのは支配層である貴族たちの実態であろう。本稿はおもにヘンリ一世時代を対象にアングロ＝ノルマン貴族たちの行動に注目し、王／公権との関係を視野にいれつつ、彼らの行動を集合的に把握することを試みる。争乱時、あるいは通常の行政においての王／公権とのかかわりを探ることから、王国の人的構成要素としての貴族たちがイングランドとノルマンディーという地域性に対応しつつ多様な構造を成していたことが導かれるだろう。

The firm relationship between medieval England and Normandy which John Le Patourel emphasized in The Norman Empire (1976) and other works dramatically changed the standard model of an insular medieval England in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy led the Norman conquest of England and established the so-called "Anglo-Norman Realm." The realm consisted of two regions, one on either side of the English Channel. Had the Anglo-Norman Realm consolidated medieval England and Normandy as firmly as Le Patourel asserted? Did the two regions in fact form a single political entity? When examining medieval realms, it is .important to remember their differences from modern nations, and to keep in mind that they were founded on accumulated layers of groups of people. For this reason, it can be said that the nobility formed the top layer and thus one of the most important components of the medieval realm. By studying the nobility, we can learn about one side of Anglo-Norman Realm In this paper, the author has focused on the Anglo-Norman nobility with the intention of giving a picture of their activities as a whole, considering also the relationship between the nobility and the monarch, To this end, she has carried out a statistical study of chronicles and chater evidence. The auther concludes that the Anglo-Norman nobility adapted to the unique characteristics of regions within England and Normandy to form a governing class full of variety.