Geoffrey de Mandeville a Study of the Anarchy

by . Logmans Green and co

This book an EXACT reproduction of the original book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR?d book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

474 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1892

Reviews

[Michael Smith]

Round, one of the more astute (and contentious) genealogical scholars for two decades on either side of the beginning of the 20th century, undertook this study of the period of aristocratic civil war following the death of Henry I in the light of the large number of charters granted or attested by Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex. Until his sudden death at the hands of an enemy bowman in 1144, Geoffrey was one of the major players during the Anarchy; to many historians, he typifies the period. Round, in fact, calls him "the most perfect and typical presentment of the feudal and anarchic spirit." Actually, his principal goal seems to have been to recover the lands seized from his father by Henry I, which he accomplished by playing each side in the struggle against the other.

Of special interest, though, is Round’s habit of adding appendices to his books on whatever topics interested him, however tenuous their connection to the subject at hand. This volume includes twenty-eight brief essays on such notables as Gervase de Cornhill, Miles of Gloucester, William of Arques, Roger de Ramis, and the connection between the Mandevilles and the De Veres. There is also an extended essay on "The Creation of the Earldom of Gloucester."

Round’s scholarship is always finely honed, though certain of his interpretations and conclusions are now out of fashion. And be warned that he follows the Victorian gentleman’s assumption that any educated person can handle Latin texts, so he never bothers to translate his frequent excerpts from medieval charters and historians.