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tootherlordsand,onlyinEngland,indirectlytothemonarch.Suchadistinction
ledtotheperceptionoftwostratawithinonesocialgroupoflandowners:theupper
whichduringtheprocessofsocialchangeevolvedintothepeerage,andthelower
knownas‘gentry'.Intheearlyfeudaltimes,theking'sbaronswereallowedtohave
theirownbaronsthroughtheprocessofsubinfeudation,butthecontinuationofthis
practicewasrestrictedbyKingEdwardI(1272–1307)whorecognisedthedanger
itrepresentedtohiscentralisedpowerandfiscalefficiency.25Itwasnolongerlineage
thatsolelyguaranteedatitle,butalsothefavouroftherulingmonarchwhocould
bestowuponhissupportershonours.Hence,theEnglishmedievalnobilitywere
anopenandchangingclass.26AccordingtoMauriceKeen,“Englishgentrynever
cametoenjoyanyfiscalprivilegeparalleltotheFrenchnobility'sexemptionfromthe
taille”,whichwasthekeytotheestablishmentofthenoblesseasajuridicallydefined
estate.ThegentryinEnglandwasneverdefinedinthismannerand“theonlyclear
legaldistinctionwasthatbetweenthefreeandtheunfree.”27AccordingtoRalph
GriffithstherootsofEnglishnobilitywerethreefold,namely“anobilitybypractice
andservice,”whichcouldbeserviceinwar,“anobilitybylordship,”whichmeant
possessinglandsandestatesandactingasalandlord,and“anobilitybybirth,”or
noblelineage.28
Thecreationofnewbaronsandearlswasintheinterestoftheking,who,bypro-
motingtherightmencouldformastrongloyalgroupofsupporters.Ontheother
hand,thedangerwasthatbypromotingthewrongpeople,heendangerednotonly
hispresenceonthethrone,butalsopolitics,concerningmattersbothathomeand
abroad.29Strangelyenough,atfirstthekingswerereluctanttopromotetheirmen
andcreatenewtitles.ThetitleofbaronwasintroducedbyWilliamtheConqueroras
aranktodistinguishthemenwhohadpledgedtheirloyaltytohim.TheDomesday
Bookrevealstheexistenceofaboutonehundredandseventygreattenants-in-chief
whoheldtheirland‘bybarony'fromtheking.Theonlyheritabletitlebefore1337in
Englandwashoweverthatofearl,30anAnglo-SaxonandScandinaviantitlewhich
remaineduntouchedaftertheNormanconquest.Interestingly,theNorman-derived
25
AstatuteQuiaEmptores,passedin1290,hastenedtheendoffeudalismperseinEngland,
whichhadalreadybeenonthedeclineforquitesometime.
26
M.Bloc,FeudalSociety:SocialClassesandPoliticalOrganisation(Chicago,1994),II,pp.331.
27
Keen,OriginsoftheEnglishGentleman,pp.121–122.
28
Griffiths,TheFourteenthandFifteenthCenturies,p.72.
29
Given-Wilson,TheEnglishNobilityintheLateMiddleAges,pp.29–30.
30
Theword‘earl'(or‘jarl')meant‘chieftain'andreferredespeciallytochieftainssettoruleaterritory
inaking'sstead.ItremainsunclearwhetherthereexistsaconnectionbyetymologytotheAnglo-
Saxonterm‘ealdorman',whichtranslatesliterallyas‘elder',‘senior'anddenotedanofficewhich
waseffectivelyreplacedbythatofearlduringtheeleventhcentury.SeeJ.P.Kenyon,Dictionary
ofBritishHistory(Ware,Hertfordshire,1981),s.v.‘earl'and‘earldom';OED,s.v.‘earl'.
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