Honour, Duelling and Royal Power in Exile : a case-study of the banished Caroline Stuart Court, c.1649-c.1660
Through an examination of honour duels and violence between the courtiers within Charles II’s exiled court in late 1650s Spanish Netherlands, this article casts light on the power and honour relationships between monarchs and their elites in the early-modern period. It does this by primarily studyin...
Gardado en:
| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/chs, |
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| Autor Principal: | |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | Anglais |
| Publicado: |
Crime, Histoire & Sociétés
2013
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| Acceso en liña: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Résumé: | Through an examination of honour duels and violence between the courtiers within Charles II’s exiled court in late 1650s Spanish Netherlands, this article casts light on the power and honour relationships between monarchs and their elites in the early-modern period. It does this by primarily studying the fallout from two duels that, directly or indirectly, involved an Irish nobleman, Theobald Viscount Taaffe. The article considers the reasons that motivated elite violence in this court and also examines if exile changed duelling practices within it. It also throws light on how the courtiers defended their involvement in such clashes. The efforts of the pater familias of this royal household, Charles II, to prevent or limit such violent behaviour are also studied. Ultimately the article challenges Norbert Elias’ thesis on how royals civilised and controlled the violent impulses of their elite and noble followers. It does so by concluding that Charles II shared the same concept of honour as his courtiers. This meant that, despite Charles II’s efforts to control violence in his own royal household, he could not deny his followers the right to defend their own good name and social standing in a socially acceptable manner, such as the duel. |
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