"Nay, they will be kin to us, or they will fetch it from Japheth": The production, dissemination and use of royal genealogical chronicles in the first
Lead Research Organisation:
Nottingham Trent University
Department Name: Sch of Arts and Humanities
Abstract
The expected assumption of personal rule by Henry VI at the end of his long minority never seemingly materialised. The ongoing reliance on conciliar bodies and the apparent monopolising of the king's patronage by a powerful household faction in the late 1430s and 1440s suggests the lack of an active and adept ruler at the centre. It was this lack of an impartial and proactive king at the centre that proved detrimental to England maintaining its territorial possessions in France, to maintaining order in the localities, and to preventing factional dominance - all recognised causes of the resulting Wars of the Roses. The descent to war was not an inevitable one and the period of 1437 to 1449 has produced differing interpretations of Henry VI's capability to rule as an active monarch.
The historical literature produced during Henry VI's reign offers an interesting insight into contemporary understanding and expectations of kingship. Kingsford early on rehabilitated the genre in the fifteenth century, demonstrating its range and extent, albeit criticising its partisan nature. The focus of this study would be on a particular sub-genre of historical literature: the genealogical chronicle. While not a fifteenth-century innovation, this century saw the development of the genre towards a wider consumer audience evident in the survival of clear groups of near-identical manuscripts. The survival of over 100 fifteenth-century royal genealogies with Biblical origins suggest the original popularity of the genre, with about 40 surviving manuscripts produced under Henry VI. Their format - a complex diagram illustrating successions surrounded by a commentary, usually favouring roll form over codex - meant a different process of production was required in comparison to standard texts, thus they provide exciting opportunities to study the varied nature of late medieval manuscript production. The narrative used in these chronicles was generally copied piecemeal from standard historical texts, like the Polichronicon and the Prose Brut tradition. This project therefore will provide a fascinating case study into popular culture, historiography, and manuscript ownership and use under Henry VI, identifying changes in popular interpretations of national history.
Research Questions
How did the historical perspectives employed by genealogical rolls develop and respond to political changes over the fifteenth century, through the process of writing, re-writing, and editing history?
How did these perspectives compare with the history presented in other contemporary histories (i.e., the English Brut tradition, the London Chronicles, Hardying's Chronicle)?
Research Aims
To map out a standard production process through studying variations in the 'Noah group' manuscripts.
To compile object biographies of the 'Noah group' manuscripts by tracing ownership through inventories, wills, and sales.
To produce a digital edition of the 'Noah' genealogy text that highlights variations between manuscripts.
To identify variations in the genealogical chronicle narratives and compare these variations with other historical writing produced in this period (i.e., examining how potentially controversial recent events like the deposition of Richard II were interpreted under Henry VI).
The historical literature produced during Henry VI's reign offers an interesting insight into contemporary understanding and expectations of kingship. Kingsford early on rehabilitated the genre in the fifteenth century, demonstrating its range and extent, albeit criticising its partisan nature. The focus of this study would be on a particular sub-genre of historical literature: the genealogical chronicle. While not a fifteenth-century innovation, this century saw the development of the genre towards a wider consumer audience evident in the survival of clear groups of near-identical manuscripts. The survival of over 100 fifteenth-century royal genealogies with Biblical origins suggest the original popularity of the genre, with about 40 surviving manuscripts produced under Henry VI. Their format - a complex diagram illustrating successions surrounded by a commentary, usually favouring roll form over codex - meant a different process of production was required in comparison to standard texts, thus they provide exciting opportunities to study the varied nature of late medieval manuscript production. The narrative used in these chronicles was generally copied piecemeal from standard historical texts, like the Polichronicon and the Prose Brut tradition. This project therefore will provide a fascinating case study into popular culture, historiography, and manuscript ownership and use under Henry VI, identifying changes in popular interpretations of national history.
Research Questions
How did the historical perspectives employed by genealogical rolls develop and respond to political changes over the fifteenth century, through the process of writing, re-writing, and editing history?
How did these perspectives compare with the history presented in other contemporary histories (i.e., the English Brut tradition, the London Chronicles, Hardying's Chronicle)?
Research Aims
To map out a standard production process through studying variations in the 'Noah group' manuscripts.
To compile object biographies of the 'Noah group' manuscripts by tracing ownership through inventories, wills, and sales.
To produce a digital edition of the 'Noah' genealogy text that highlights variations between manuscripts.
To identify variations in the genealogical chronicle narratives and compare these variations with other historical writing produced in this period (i.e., examining how potentially controversial recent events like the deposition of Richard II were interpreted under Henry VI).
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Catherine Gower (Student) |