Le duc et la société

The nature of society in the Bordelais region is well known from the 1070s and 1080s onwards thanks to ecclesiastical cartularies, and it provides an example of highly distinctive political organisation. This study shows that the extent of ducal authority has usually been underestimated by historians and deserves to be reassessed. The duke of Aquitaine controlled a sizeable domain, the territorial extent of which is reconstructed in this study, and he dominated the region’s network of local lordships and castle lordships rather than being overshadowed by them; despite his frequent absences, he remained a major figure in this part of Gascony. The free peasantry also played an important part in ensuring his success. The marriage of the duchess, Eleanor, to Henry II in 1152 significantly altered the situation. Over the next few decades, the king of England and his son, Richard the Lionheart, became involved in numerous conflicts and reinforced their authority by introducing new feudal customs, establishing a stronger fiscal system, and enforcing the king’s peace. The dukes strengthened their ties with the increasingly militarised aristocracy and with local communities, which were required to perform military service and associated in the raising of taxes. The 1180s marked the zenith of this first “age of the king-duke”.