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Abstract/Details

Crusading and Capetian dynastic ideology, 1095–1147

Naus, James.   Saint Louis University ProQuest Dissertations Publishing,  2011. 3475189.

Abstract (summary)

There is general agreement among scholars of Capetian France that Louis IX--the future St. Louis--understood his participation in the crusading movement to be an essential part of his status as French king. Comparatively little scholarship has sought to explain the origins of this belief, in large part because of an inability to move away from nationalist and positivist methodologies. This dissertation addresses this issue, arguing that the crusading movement is a fruitful route into an understanding of the power structure and operation of rulership in medieval France. It examines the earliest connections between the Capetian kings and the crusades, from the movement's beginning in 1095 through 1146, when Louis VII became the first French king to take the cross. It argues that crusading ideology and imagery were essential components in the formation of a strong French monarchy during this period, and that these components evolved from a potential crisis in authority that beset the monarchy as mid-ranking nobles began returning from the East around 1100 with newly acquired prestige and heroics. This study thus shows that by adopting various imagery and ideology associated with the crusades, the Capetian kings and those close to them attempted to portrayed themselves as idealized crusading kings, an image which ultimately became a key element in the theory and practice of French rulership.

Indexing (details)


Subject
European history;
Medieval history
Classification
0335: European history
0581: Medieval history
Identifier / keyword
Social sciences; Capetian; Crusading; First Crusade; France; Louis VI, King of France; Robert of Riems; Robert the Monk; Saint-Denis; Suger, Abbott of Saint Denis
Title
Crusading and Capetian dynastic ideology, 1095–1147
Author
Naus, James
Number of pages
240
Degree date
2011
School code
0193
Source
DAI-A 73/01, Dissertation Abstracts International
Place of publication
Ann Arbor
Country of publication
United States
ISBN
978-1-124-93065-7
Advisor
Madden, Thomas F.
Committee member
Bull, Marcus G.; Gavitt, Phillip
University/institution
Saint Louis University
Department
History
University location
United States -- Missouri
Degree
Ph.D.
Source type
Dissertation or Thesis
Language
English
Document type
Dissertation/Thesis
Dissertation/thesis number
3475189
ProQuest document ID
900303748
Copyright
Database copyright ProQuest LLC; ProQuest does not claim copyright in the individual underlying works.
Document URL
https://www.proquest.com/dissertations/docview/900303748/135A8FF348919D35709/80