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Angevin Empire
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Angevin Empire
The Angevin Empire (/ˈændʒɪvɪn/; French: Empire Plantagenêt) was the collection of territories held by the House of Plantagenet during the 12th and 13th centuries, when they ruled over an area covering roughly all of present-day England, half of France, and parts of Ireland and Wales, and claiming overlordship and some influence over the remaining parts of Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It may be described as an early example of a composite monarchy. The empire was established by Henry II of England, who succeeded his father Geoffrey as duke of Normandy and count of Anjou (from the latter of which the term Angevin is derived). Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, acquiring the Duchy of Aquitaine, and inherited his mother Empress Matilda's claim to the English throne, succeeding his rival Stephen in 1154. Although their title of highest rank came from the Kingdom of England, the Plantagenets held court primarily on the continent at Angers in Anjou and at Chinon in Touraine.
The influence and power of the Angevin kings of England brought them into conflict with the kings of France of the House of Capet, to whom they also owed feudal homage for their French possessions, bringing in a period of rivalry between the dynasties. Despite the extent of Angevin rule, Henry's son King John was defeated in the Anglo-French War (1213–1214) by Philip II of France following the Battle of Bouvines. John lost control of most of his continental possessions, apart from Guyenne and Gascony in southern Aquitaine. This defeat set the scene for further conflicts between England and France, leading up to the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), in which the Plantagenets re-established dominion over much of western, central, and northern France before losing their possessions again, this time permanently.
The term Angevin Empire is a historiographic retronym defining the lands of the House of Plantagenet: Henry II and his sons Richard I and John. Another son, Geoffrey, ruled Brittany and established a separate line there. As far as historians know, there was no contemporary term for the region under Angevin control; however, descriptions such as "our kingdom and everything subject to our rule whatever it may be" were used. The term Angevin Empire was coined by Kate Norgate in her 1887 publication England under the Angevin Kings. In France, the term espace Plantagenet (French for "Plantagenet area") is sometimes used to describe the fiefdoms the Plantagenets had acquired.
The adoption of the Angevin Empire label marked a re-evaluation of the times, considering that both English and French influence spread throughout the dominion in the half-century during which the union lasted. The term Angevin is the demonym for the residents of Anjou and its historic capital, Angers; the Plantagenets were descended from Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou, hence the term. The demonym, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, has been in use since 1511.
The use of the term empire has engendered controversy among some historians over whether the term is accurate for the actual state of affairs at the time. The area was a collection of the lands inherited and acquired by Henry. The continental lands in question were fully part of the medieval Kingdom of France, and the lands in England were part of the Kingdom of England. Henry did not rule the lands he held in France as a king but ruled under the relevant local title such as "duje". There is no evidence that the lands owned or ruled by Henry shared any common identity relating to the Plantagenets and so should be labelled with the term empire in the context of a unified state. Referring to the shared lands as an empire of property real estate may be more accurate.
Some historians argue that the term should be reserved solely for the Holy Roman Empire, the only Western European political structure actually named an empire at that time, although Alfonso VII of León and Castile had taken the title "Emperor of all Spain" in 1135. Other historians argue that Henry II's empire was not powerful, centralised or large enough to be seriously called an empire. Furthermore, the Plantagenets never claimed any sort of imperial title as implied by the term Angevin Empire. However, even if the Plantagenets themselves did not claim an imperial title, some chroniclers, often working for Henry II, used the term empire to describe the assemblage of lands. The highest title was "king of England"; the other titles of dukes and counts of different areas held in France were independent from the royal title and were not subject to English royal law. Because of this, some historians, such as W. L. Warren, prefer the term commonwealth to empire, emphasising that the Angevin Empire was more of an assemblage of seven independent, sovereign states loosely bound to each other, only united in the person of the king of England.
At its largest extent, the Angevin Empire consisted of the Kingdom of England, the Lordship of Ireland (which was considered illegitimate since Henry II broke the Treaty of Windsor), the Duchies of Normandy (which included the Channel Islands), Gascony and Aquitaine, as well as of the counties of Anjou, Poitou, Maine, Touraine, Saintonge, La Marche, Périgord, Limousin, Nantes and Quercy. While the duchies and counties were held with various levels of vassalage to the king of France, the Plantagenets held various levels of control over the duchies of Brittany and Cornwall, the Welsh princedoms, the County of Toulouse, and the Kingdom of Scotland, although those regions were not formal parts of the empire. Auvergne was also in the empire for parts of the reigns of Henry and Richard, in their capacity as dukes of Aquitaine. Henry and Richard pushed further claims over the County of Berry, but these were not completely fulfilled, and the county was lost completely by the time of the accession of John in 1199.
The frontiers of the empire were sometimes well known and therefore easy to mark, such as the levees constructed between the crown lands of France and the Duchy of Normandy. In other places, the borders were not so clear, particularly the eastern border of Aquitaine, where there was often a difference between the frontier that Henry and Richard claimed and the frontier where their effective power ended. Scotland was an independent kingdom, but after a disastrous campaign led by William the Lion, English garrisons were established in the castles of Edinburgh, Roxburgh, Jedburgh and Berwick in southern Scotland as defined in the Treaty of Falaise.
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Angevin Empire
The Angevin Empire (/ˈændʒɪvɪn/; French: Empire Plantagenêt) was the collection of territories held by the House of Plantagenet during the 12th and 13th centuries, when they ruled over an area covering roughly all of present-day England, half of France, and parts of Ireland and Wales, and claiming overlordship and some influence over the remaining parts of Wales, Scotland and Ireland. It may be described as an early example of a composite monarchy. The empire was established by Henry II of England, who succeeded his father Geoffrey as duke of Normandy and count of Anjou (from the latter of which the term Angevin is derived). Henry married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, acquiring the Duchy of Aquitaine, and inherited his mother Empress Matilda's claim to the English throne, succeeding his rival Stephen in 1154. Although their title of highest rank came from the Kingdom of England, the Plantagenets held court primarily on the continent at Angers in Anjou and at Chinon in Touraine.
The influence and power of the Angevin kings of England brought them into conflict with the kings of France of the House of Capet, to whom they also owed feudal homage for their French possessions, bringing in a period of rivalry between the dynasties. Despite the extent of Angevin rule, Henry's son King John was defeated in the Anglo-French War (1213–1214) by Philip II of France following the Battle of Bouvines. John lost control of most of his continental possessions, apart from Guyenne and Gascony in southern Aquitaine. This defeat set the scene for further conflicts between England and France, leading up to the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), in which the Plantagenets re-established dominion over much of western, central, and northern France before losing their possessions again, this time permanently.
The term Angevin Empire is a historiographic retronym defining the lands of the House of Plantagenet: Henry II and his sons Richard I and John. Another son, Geoffrey, ruled Brittany and established a separate line there. As far as historians know, there was no contemporary term for the region under Angevin control; however, descriptions such as "our kingdom and everything subject to our rule whatever it may be" were used. The term Angevin Empire was coined by Kate Norgate in her 1887 publication England under the Angevin Kings. In France, the term espace Plantagenet (French for "Plantagenet area") is sometimes used to describe the fiefdoms the Plantagenets had acquired.
The adoption of the Angevin Empire label marked a re-evaluation of the times, considering that both English and French influence spread throughout the dominion in the half-century during which the union lasted. The term Angevin is the demonym for the residents of Anjou and its historic capital, Angers; the Plantagenets were descended from Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou, hence the term. The demonym, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, has been in use since 1511.
The use of the term empire has engendered controversy among some historians over whether the term is accurate for the actual state of affairs at the time. The area was a collection of the lands inherited and acquired by Henry. The continental lands in question were fully part of the medieval Kingdom of France, and the lands in England were part of the Kingdom of England. Henry did not rule the lands he held in France as a king but ruled under the relevant local title such as "duje". There is no evidence that the lands owned or ruled by Henry shared any common identity relating to the Plantagenets and so should be labelled with the term empire in the context of a unified state. Referring to the shared lands as an empire of property real estate may be more accurate.
Some historians argue that the term should be reserved solely for the Holy Roman Empire, the only Western European political structure actually named an empire at that time, although Alfonso VII of León and Castile had taken the title "Emperor of all Spain" in 1135. Other historians argue that Henry II's empire was not powerful, centralised or large enough to be seriously called an empire. Furthermore, the Plantagenets never claimed any sort of imperial title as implied by the term Angevin Empire. However, even if the Plantagenets themselves did not claim an imperial title, some chroniclers, often working for Henry II, used the term empire to describe the assemblage of lands. The highest title was "king of England"; the other titles of dukes and counts of different areas held in France were independent from the royal title and were not subject to English royal law. Because of this, some historians, such as W. L. Warren, prefer the term commonwealth to empire, emphasising that the Angevin Empire was more of an assemblage of seven independent, sovereign states loosely bound to each other, only united in the person of the king of England.
At its largest extent, the Angevin Empire consisted of the Kingdom of England, the Lordship of Ireland (which was considered illegitimate since Henry II broke the Treaty of Windsor), the Duchies of Normandy (which included the Channel Islands), Gascony and Aquitaine, as well as of the counties of Anjou, Poitou, Maine, Touraine, Saintonge, La Marche, Périgord, Limousin, Nantes and Quercy. While the duchies and counties were held with various levels of vassalage to the king of France, the Plantagenets held various levels of control over the duchies of Brittany and Cornwall, the Welsh princedoms, the County of Toulouse, and the Kingdom of Scotland, although those regions were not formal parts of the empire. Auvergne was also in the empire for parts of the reigns of Henry and Richard, in their capacity as dukes of Aquitaine. Henry and Richard pushed further claims over the County of Berry, but these were not completely fulfilled, and the county was lost completely by the time of the accession of John in 1199.
The frontiers of the empire were sometimes well known and therefore easy to mark, such as the levees constructed between the crown lands of France and the Duchy of Normandy. In other places, the borders were not so clear, particularly the eastern border of Aquitaine, where there was often a difference between the frontier that Henry and Richard claimed and the frontier where their effective power ended. Scotland was an independent kingdom, but after a disastrous campaign led by William the Lion, English garrisons were established in the castles of Edinburgh, Roxburgh, Jedburgh and Berwick in southern Scotland as defined in the Treaty of Falaise.
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