M. T. Clanchy's overview of English political history from the Norman Conquest to the death of Henry III, first published in 1983, was innovative, unconventional, and fascinating, and Blackwell Publishers are to be commended for bringing out this second edition in 1998. Before turning to Clanchy's changes, it is worth saying something about the original work, since it remains largely intact in the current edition. Though it was originally conceived as a textbook on political history, and was placed in textbook series alongside other works that cover economic and social history (Blackwells have placed it in a different but similar series), it was certainly not a traditional political overview. Chronological discussion of events such as wars and political struggles was kept to a minimum, and instead Clanchy focused on the characters of kings, and on broad trends such as the development of government bureaucracies and of national identity. In pursuit of the last topic, Clanchy looked at such subjects as language and culture which one would not ordinarily associate with political history, but had important political overtones in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest. Clanchy's decision not to write a conventional narrative was a wise one, for there are plenty of places to go for detailed descriptions of the events of this period, and his approach allowed him to combine institutional, biographical, and political history in fresh and interesting ways. Clanchy did not simply summarize existing thought on the period, but made a series of arguments about the nature of kingship and government that combined new thinking of his own with ideas of other scholars. For instance, in discussing Henry II's legal reforms, Clanchy linked S. F. C. Milsom's revisionist approaches with insights drawn from his own work on the growth of literacy and its effects on government to come up with an enhanced Milsomian vision of these reforms. He also delved into long neglected subjects such as English identity, and provided insights into long-term developments in English historiography. All in all, his work has been an important one not only for students but also for scholars. The chief change Clanchy has made in his new edition is to add an epilogue on Edward I in order to link the book to current textbooks on later medieval England. This new section is very much in the style of the earlier book, and continues to explore the same themes about the character of kings, the development of government institutions, and the strength of national identity, as well as devoting time to Edward's wars in Wales and Scotland. In typical fashion Clanchy both uses and undermines old fashioned stereotypes about kings, and he makes the very interesting argument that Edward modeled himself on his father and was much more like him than one might suspect, though partly this is because Henry III, in Clanchy's eyes, was a stronger monarch than he is usually given credit for. In terms of government, Clanchy has a fairly negative view of the success of Edward's quo warranto proceedings, and he argues that Edward's reputation as the English Justinian stems more from the way statutes began to be recorded in his reign than from an actual increase in legislation. Clanchy also has interesting arguments about law, nationalism, and how Edward's wars fit into his world view. Outside of this new section, and a thorough updating of his bibliography, Clanchy's revisions to his original book are minimal. The one substantial change I found was the addition of a page refining what he means by the term Poitevin. One of Clanchy's arguments is that the role of aliens, and above all Poitevins, in the governments of John and Henry III, was a crucial factor in the history of the reigns, and in 1983, relying on medieval English chroniclers and the best scholarship then available, he discussed Peter des Roches as the archetypical Poitevin. Since then, Nicholas Vincent has convincingly argued that the English chroniclers were wrong, and that des Roches was in fact from Anjou, which requires some adjustment on Clanchy's part. Clanchy, quite reasonably, continues to use the term because contemporary English chroniclers used it to describe the foreigners they disliked, but takes the time to explain that not all the Poitevins were in fact Poitevin. In general, his argument about the importance of aliens remains basically unaffected and is still a strong one. Other changes are very minor indeed; for instance, he uses Maddicott's biography of Simon de Montfort to bolster his description of Simon de Montfort as a Christian reformer, but ignores Maddicott's discussion of de Montfort's single minded pursuit of his own interests, sometimes at the expense of reform in general. Beyond the two examples cited above, there are few if any changes in the text to take into account scholarship since 1983, and this sometimes makes the work look out of date. Clanchy's section on the debate over the introduction of feudalism after the conquest remains unaffected by Susan Reynolds' path-breaking book, and his discussion of legal reform takes no account of work by John Hudson and others which questions Milsom's revisionist approach. Other instances where updating would be useful could be cited, but in large measure, this remains basically the same book it was in 1983. Fortunately, it was an excellent book in 1983, and though I wish it had been updated more, it has generally stood the test of time and remains an excellent book today. As a textbook, it is of course geared more for English students, with their greater background in English history, and their need for more in-depth textbooks than many courses in the U.S. are likely to require. Nevertheless, because the book is well written, accessible, lively, and entertaining, it should be useful at least for more experienced and sophisticated undergraduates. More important, any scholar of English medieval history who has not read the first edition should read this one, and medievalists of all areas and periods would find it very useful in putting together lectures, and for its many interesting insights. Thus, the reappearance of this work is a welcome event indeed.
99.07.03, Clanchy, England and Its Rulers
