| Paper 341-c | Manifestations of Power: A German Noble Family in 14th-Century Sweden and Their Networks, Positions, and Spatiality
(Language: English)
Thomas Neijman, Institutionen för mediestudier, Stockholms universitet
Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Politics and Diplomacy, Social History |
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| Abstract | Paper -a:
The letters exchanged between members of families such as the Celys, the Pastons, and the Stonors have often helped historians understand and illustrate English history during the 15th century. However, it's not often that the families themselves are studied on their own, and how they contributed and were affected by the world around them. This paper aims to give a glimpse at how a particular family, the Plumptons, fitted in that scenario, one of instability, power play, and war, how their own family dynamics operated amidst it all, and how it affects our comprehension of English local history and memory.
Paper -b:
The social unrest and dynastic dispute of the mid-15th century in England led to vast changes in the political discourse. Traditional notions of good kingship based on moral rectitude proved insufficient, and more pragmatic ideas about ways to protect royal power and authority began to emerge. Written at the height of the Wars of the Roses, the Middle English mirror for princes Active Policy of a Prince by the royal clerk George Ashby (c. 1390-1475) is a unique witness to these changes. This paper will examine the developments of the concepts of kingship and power as reflected in Ashby's poem.
Paper -c:
During the 14th century there were an influx of German noblemen to Sweden. This paper addresses how one of these families - the Vitzen's - manifested themselves, their positions, and networks. By combining different representations, social networks, and spatiality - positions, groups, and fields are created - which could be used to compare between competing social networks. With the inclusion of changes over time the migrated nobility is studied in the context of a changing situation, and thereby the power dynamics within the wider nobility in Sweden.
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