Sociology Of Power Essay, Research Paper
Kingship crucial to political workings of all
kingdoms ? dynasticism very important as were strong kinship tires in
binding together monarchies ? also problematic ? Charlemagne forbade sons
to kill, blind, mutilate nephews, of force them to be tonsured Kings and aristocrats marriage alliances ? conduits
property, power, peace weavers, foci of interest groups, kin by marriage
could offer political support, maternal and paternal kin could transmit
claims on wealth and prestige to the next generation. Dead as well as living royal women acted as a focus
for the loyalties of a subset of Carolingian kin and enabled one group to
define itself against others ? women?s identity Charlemagne choose
Hildegrad in regna east of Rhine due to her Alemannic lineage ?
legitimised Charlemagne?s rule here, significant channels of patronage,
second marriage and kin v. kin caused civil war in case of Louis the Pious
Carolingians choose aristocrats as wives ? queens
ran households, dispensed annual payments ? a king?s wife?s kin were his
own ? in laws offered support.?
Carolingians rarely allowed daughters to marry ? kept in convents,
widen too much the circle of kinship.?
Carolingians faced with no greater threat than the sterility of
their wives ? too much on binding-power of marriage alliances ? who could
predict? women?s infertility or her
arousing inrevocabile odium. Kingship scare resource and sub-kingdoms limited ?
King?s sons surplus to requirements had to be shed ? few kings escaped
problem of rebellion by close kinsmen ? only after Carloman, Charlemagne?s
son was blinded did aristocratic support diminish. Names to include and exclude in Carolingians ?
Bernard name with illegitimacy, unlike Pippin ? Charlemagne calls sons
Clovis and Chlothar ? neither illegitimacy or canonical disqualification
proved definitive bars to royal succession ? 887 ? 870 Charles the Bald?s
long tonsured son found support. Potents ? powerful one at court ? due to closeness
to the ruler ? ploughed benefits back into roots of their social power ?
King?s job to make sure such men did not focus of faction or rebellion ?
kingdom hold together if arisocrats functioned and saw themselves as
givers of counsel ? Konigsnahe. Young nobility around court for Konigsnahe,
military political and social skills, quee surrogate mother and gift
giver, same with clerics. King had access to lower social levels ? important
for support but such people, with royal protection had power ? but
maintenance relationship with Lords aristocracy as important if not more
so than with kin.? Kingship and
lordship went together and reinforced each other, main danger to a king
was noble conspiracy.