This book provides a ‘how to’ guide to studying eleventh-century Norman charters, to enable readers to develop a confident command of this material, inviting them to explore the possibilities these documents have for their historical studies.

The first part introduces these documents and how they developed, including the different types of charters. It describes the sub-disciplines used to examine and analyse charters, how these specialties have developed, with modern technology transforming the level of knowledge that can be gained. The second part takes readers through two case studies showing how charter information can be used to study society from local community-level and regional-level spatial perspectives. The case studies are designed to demonstrate how charters can be analysed to show the interconnectedness of people and places, from the elite to the local dimension of everyday small community life, bringing to light multi-layered connections, networks, and unexpected associations to make sense of the past.

Approaching Norman Charters stands as an essential reference point for students and scholars of medieval Norman history, particularly those working with original charter material/archival sources from this period for the first time.

Sarah Fry is a medieval historian. She is a Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. Her research interests focus on the eleventh century and bringing out the voices of those people traditionally under-represented in the historical narrative.

Table des matières :

List of Tables

Abbreviations

Note on Placenames and Coinage

Part I: The Records

Chapter One: Introduction to Charters

Section 1: Introduction

Section 2: The Study of Charters

Chapter Two: Charters as Artifacts

Section 1: Norman Charter Characteristics

Section 2: Charter Locations

Part II: Interpretation and Analysis

Chapter Three: A Microhistory of the Abbey: Bernard the Cook

Chapter Four: A Macrohistory of the Abbey: Patterns of Religious Patronage in Normandy

Conclusion

Selected Definitions

Further Reading

Appendix: Genealogies

Bibliography

Index

Informations pratiques :

Sarah Fry, Approaching Norman Charters of the Eleventh Century, Londres, Routledge, 2026 ; 1 vol., 148 p. (Routledge Focus). ISBN : 978-1-03245-322-4. Prix : € 63,99.

Source : Routledge