Jack Edwards | University of Oxford (original) (raw)
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This essay has two aims: firstly, to examine how historians' opinions on the late Anglo-Saxon sta... more This essay has two aims: firstly, to examine how historians' opinions on the late Anglo-Saxon state have developed, and to critically assess relevant literature; secondly, to examine and assess how historians have conceived of the phenomena which some have labelled the state, and if the word state is appropriate for (early) medieval political structures. The essay takes a chronological approach, beginning with the view that the Anglo-Saxons were degenerates and proceeding from there through the reassessments of the twentieth century, culminating with the maximum view of James Campbell and its subsequent critiques and refinements. The paper also examines how Anglo-Saxonists, and medieval historians more generally, have conceived of the medieval state; it examines debates between proponents and critics of the term state. Though they, to an extent, problematised the term state, these debates ultimately proved fruitful. This essay demonstrates how drastically opinions on the late Anglo-Saxon state have changed since the nineteenth century. It also argues that, whilst it is not possible to resolve the debate over the state, and the term is in some respects problematic, it is an acceptable term for historians to use; provided they define their terminology and elucidate how they perceive of medieval political organisation.
Papers by Jack Edwards
The purposes of the Domesday survey and its most famous products, Great Domesday and Little Domes... more The purposes of the Domesday survey and its most famous products, Great Domesday and Little Domesday, have long been debated, as have the means by which the information they contain was gathered and checked. In recent years Domesday scholars have begun to argue that the survey had multiple aims, and that the information it collected benefitted the king, his tenants-in-chief and the wider common weal in a range of ways. This dissertation examines a selection of non-standard material drawn from the Domesday Book and categorises it according to its content. In doing so the dissertation has two aims: firstly, to examine what the non-standard material reveals about the process by which the information gathered during the survey was checked, particularly in public inquests and why these were deemed necessary; and secondly, to contribute to the voluminous but developing scholarship on the purposes of the survey, in the process assessing recent historiographical trends and whether these are in need of refinement.
After introducing the topic, chapter 2 examines the historiographical background and where this study stands. In chapter 3 the methodology which has been used is briefly detailed; then in chapter 4 the findings of the study are explored in detail. In chapter 5 the main questions of the study are answered. This chapter examines the usefulness of the nonstandard material and what this can reveal about the purposes of the survey; the chapter also analyses the conduct of the survey and provides an account of how the public inquests of the survey may have been conducted.
This essay has two aims: firstly, to examine how historians' opinions on the late Anglo-Saxon sta... more This essay has two aims: firstly, to examine how historians' opinions on the late Anglo-Saxon state have developed, and to critically assess relevant literature; secondly, to examine and assess how historians have conceived of the phenomena which some have labelled the state, and if the word state is appropriate for (early) medieval political structures. The essay takes a chronological approach, beginning with the view that the Anglo-Saxons were degenerates and proceeding from there through the reassessments of the twentieth century, culminating with the maximum view of James Campbell and its subsequent critiques and refinements. The paper also examines how Anglo-Saxonists, and medieval historians more generally, have conceived of the medieval state; it examines debates between proponents and critics of the term state. Though they, to an extent, problematised the term state, these debates ultimately proved fruitful. This essay demonstrates how drastically opinions on the late Anglo-Saxon state have changed since the nineteenth century. It also argues that, whilst it is not possible to resolve the debate over the state, and the term is in some respects problematic, it is an acceptable term for historians to use; provided they define their terminology and elucidate how they perceive of medieval political organisation.
The purposes of the Domesday survey and its most famous products, Great Domesday and Little Domes... more The purposes of the Domesday survey and its most famous products, Great Domesday and Little Domesday, have long been debated, as have the means by which the information they contain was gathered and checked. In recent years Domesday scholars have begun to argue that the survey had multiple aims, and that the information it collected benefitted the king, his tenants-in-chief and the wider common weal in a range of ways. This dissertation examines a selection of non-standard material drawn from the Domesday Book and categorises it according to its content. In doing so the dissertation has two aims: firstly, to examine what the non-standard material reveals about the process by which the information gathered during the survey was checked, particularly in public inquests and why these were deemed necessary; and secondly, to contribute to the voluminous but developing scholarship on the purposes of the survey, in the process assessing recent historiographical trends and whether these are in need of refinement.
After introducing the topic, chapter 2 examines the historiographical background and where this study stands. In chapter 3 the methodology which has been used is briefly detailed; then in chapter 4 the findings of the study are explored in detail. In chapter 5 the main questions of the study are answered. This chapter examines the usefulness of the nonstandard material and what this can reveal about the purposes of the survey; the chapter also analyses the conduct of the survey and provides an account of how the public inquests of the survey may have been conducted.