Nobility and crown. The de Lacy family in Ireland, England and Normandy 1172-1241

Abstract

This study of the interplay between magnate and crown in the political careers of Hugh and Walter de Lacy involves a fresh look at the high politics of the Plantagenet Empire from 1172 to 1241. It is hoped, however, that this investigation has a significance reaching far beyond the de Lacy family as several events of great magnitude and familiarity for the general history of the period are reconsidered. It is only by approaching each individual event with minimal preconception, and from the perspective of the nobility, that such revelations are facilitated within this study. In this thesis, the broader context is always used to test these individual findings, but, hopefully, it has not been used to presuppose an outcome.