Sociology Of Power Essay, Research Paper

Kingship crucial to political workings of all

kingdoms ? dynasticism very important as were strong kinship tires in

binding together monarchies ? also problematic ? Charlemagne forbade sons

to kill, blind, mutilate nephews, of force them to be tonsured Kings and aristocrats marriage alliances ? conduits

property, power, peace weavers, foci of interest groups, kin by marriage

could offer political support, maternal and paternal kin could transmit

claims on wealth and prestige to the next generation. Dead as well as living royal women acted as a focus

for the loyalties of a subset of Carolingian kin and enabled one group to

define itself against others ? women?s identity Charlemagne choose

Hildegrad in regna east of Rhine due to her Alemannic lineage ?

legitimised Charlemagne?s rule here, significant channels of patronage,

second marriage and kin v. kin caused civil war in case of Louis the Pious

Carolingians choose aristocrats as wives ? queens

ran households, dispensed annual payments ? a king?s wife?s kin were his

own ? in laws offered support.?

Carolingians rarely allowed daughters to marry ? kept in convents,

widen too much the circle of kinship.?

Carolingians faced with no greater threat than the sterility of

their wives ? too much on binding-power of marriage alliances ? who could

predict? women?s infertility or her

arousing inrevocabile odium. Kingship scare resource and sub-kingdoms limited ?

King?s sons surplus to requirements had to be shed ? few kings escaped

problem of rebellion by close kinsmen ? only after Carloman, Charlemagne?s

son was blinded did aristocratic support diminish. Names to include and exclude in Carolingians ?

Bernard name with illegitimacy, unlike Pippin ? Charlemagne calls sons

Clovis and Chlothar ? neither illegitimacy or canonical disqualification

proved definitive bars to royal succession ? 887 ? 870 Charles the Bald?s

long tonsured son found support. Potents ? powerful one at court ? due to closeness

to the ruler ? ploughed benefits back into roots of their social power ?

King?s job to make sure such men did not focus of faction or rebellion ?

kingdom hold together if arisocrats functioned and saw themselves as

givers of counsel ? Konigsnahe. Young nobility around court for Konigsnahe,

military political and social skills, quee surrogate mother and gift

giver, same with clerics. King had access to lower social levels ? important

for support but such people, with royal protection had power ? but

maintenance relationship with Lords aristocracy as important if not more

so than with kin.? Kingship and

lordship went together and reinforced each other, main danger to a king

was noble conspiracy.