Dialogus de Scaccario, and Constitutio Domus Regis The Dialogue of the Exchequer, and The Establishment of the Royal Household

by Amt, Emilie; Church, S.D.

• ISBN13: 9780199258611
• ISBN10: 0199258619
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-01-30
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This new edition contains the texts and translations of two key documents in medieval English history. The Dialogus de Scaccario, or Dialogue of the Exchequer, written by Richard fitzNigel - an insider at the court of Henry II (1154-89), has long formed the basis of historical knowledge of royal finance in the later twelfth century. It focuses on the annual audit of the sheriffs' accounts that led to the writing of the documents known as the pipe rolls. The Dialogus details the personnel and procedures of revenue collection at a time of critical importance for English government, administration, law, and economic development. It is a practical handbook rather than a theoretical treatise, and it occupies a unique place in English history. The Constitutio Domus Regis, dating from the reign of Henry I (1100-35), is the first document to describe the payments made to that group of men (and one woman) whose duty it was to look after the king's bodily needs. Kings have always been surrounded by such people, but it is not until the early years of the twelfth century that we can begin to see these people in any detail. The Constitutio is an enigmatic text and has been largely misunderstood by those who have used it before now. This edition is the first to collate all the relevant manuscripts fully. The two documents are accompanied by new readable translations, full introductions, and detailed notes, making them accessible and comprehensible twelfth-century English texts. Together, they provide a window into the workings and personnel of medieval English government.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	p. ix
Abbreviated References	p. xi
Introduction to the Dialogvs de Scaccario	p. xiii
Authorship	p. xiv
The Date of the Text	p. xviii
The Work of the Exchequer	p. xx
Development of the Exchequer	p. xxv
The Manuscripts	p. xxvii
Previous Editions	p. xxx
The Establishment of the Text	p. xxxi
Editorial Practice	p. xxxvii
Introduction to the Constitvtio Domvs Regis	p. xxxviii
Background	p. xxxviii
The History of the Royal Domus	p. xliv
Approaches to the Constitutio	p. xlviii
The Royal Household	p. lv
The Manuscripts	p. lix
The Manuscripts: A Visual Inspection	p. lxi
The Language of the Text	p. lxvi
Previous Editions	p. lxvi
Editorial Practice	p. lxvii
Sigla	p. lxviii
Dialogvs de Scaccario	p. 1
Prologue	p. 2
Book I	p. 4
Book II	p. 102
Constitvtio Domvs Regis	p. 195
Concordance	p. 217
Index of Quotations and Allusions	p. 219
Bibliography	p. 221
Index	p. 229
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