Comites, curiales, and kings : the role of Earls in the Scottish Royal Court, 1153-1249
This thesis establishes what the enumerative evidence of royal charters can confirm about the role played by earls in the Scottish royal court from 1153 to 1249, and how this role was perceived by contemporaries. Considered as a whole, and across the entire period under study, earls were infrequent and irregular figures at the royal court. This was the case even when the court was in close proximity to their respective earldoms. When and where most earls did make an appearance, it was to attest acts in which they had proprietorial interests, to endorse solemn royal documents, or during an assembly. Scottish kings of this period were most concerned that earls expended their energies in the government of their earldoms. The chief function of earls at the royal court was to underline the significance of only the most solemn of royal documents and the splendor of important occasions. Nevertheless, there were some courtier earls whose attestations did not follow the patterns exhibited by their peers. Across the period under examination, a small minority of earls attested royal acts with sufficient frequency to show that they spent a majority of their time in the king's presence. These earls acted not so much in
Crawford, Alexander F.
Courts ; Nobility
Comites, curiales, and kings : the role of Earls in the Scottish Royal Court, 1153-1249. This thesis establishes what the enumerative evidence of royal charters can confirm about the role played by earls in the Scottish royal court from 1153 to 1249, and how this role was perceived by contemporaries. Considered as a whole, and across the entire period under study, earls were infrequent and irregular figures at the royal court. This was the case even when the court was in close proximity to their respective earldoms. When and where most earls did make an appearance, it was to attest acts in which they had proprietorial interests, to endorse solemn royal documents, or during an assembly. Scottish kings of this period were most concerned that earls expended their energies in the government of their earldoms. The chief function of earls at the royal court was to underline the significance of only the most solemn of royal documents and the splendor of important occasions. Nevertheless, there were some courtier earls whose attestations did not follow the patterns exhibited by their peers. Across the period under examination, a small minority of earls attested royal acts with sufficient frequency to show that they spent a majority of their time in the king's presence. These earls acted not so much in
king role earls scottish royal_court establishes evidence royal charter confirm role_play earls scottish royal_court role perceive contemporary considered whole across entire period study earls infrequent irregular figure royal_court case even court close_proximity respective earldom earl make appearance attest act interest endorse royal document assembly scottish king period concern earl expend government earldom chief function earl royal_court underline significance royal document important occasion nevertheless courtier earl whose attestation follow pattern exhibit peer across_period examination small_minority earls attest royal act sufficient frequency show spent majority time king presence earls act much