The career of Robert of Thurnham, 1191-1211
Abstract
This thesis examines the career of Robert II of Thurnham a high ranking curial
official, whose career in the royal service spanned the reigns of both Richard I [1189-1199] and John [1199-1216]. The thesis begins by examining Robert’s modest, if not
humble, family background, before moving on to examine his career in the royal
service. The thesis treats Robert’s curial career in broadly chronological order,
starting with his activities on the Third Crusade [1191-2], and then examining his
activities as seneschal of Anjou [1195-99], and later as seneschal of Poitou [1201-1204/5]. The thesis concludes by examining such factors as the rewards Robert
received for his services to the crown, and the way in which these rewards affected his
relationship with the wider Angevin society. This final chapter also attempts to
provide more accurate dates, than have hitherto been offered, for the foundations of
the religious houses that Robert established, by providing a detailed analysis of the
surviving charter evidence, not all of which has been published. It also examines his
controversial relationship with the Abbey of Meaux, and his relationship with his
brother Stephen, and other prominent curiales. Two appendices are included. The
first takes the form of an itinerary for Robert’s life, with the second examining the
value to a study of Robert’s life of Peter of Langtoft’s ‘Chronicle’ and Thomas
Burton’s ‘Meaux Chronicle’.
Type
Thesis, MPhil Master of Philosophy
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