ABSTRACT

This article re-examines the origins of an important but little studied administrative reform introduced by King John in the wake of the loss of Normandy in 1204: the ‘custodial experiment’. Whereas previous studies of the reform have located its origins within established royal practices, this article instead argues that the experiment represented an attempt to align shire administration with contemporary developments in baronial land management, as direct exploitation replaced indirect management. This new perspective is used to consider how the king and his officials thought the novel arrangements would work in practice, as well as how the experiment related to broader royal concerns regarding administration and finance within the kingdom of England. In doing so this article contributes towards wider discussions regarding the agency of individual rulers and the exercise of power through administrative systems and institutions.

摘要

本文重新审视了约翰·金国王在1204年诺曼底逝世后推行的一项重要但很少研究的行政改革的起源：“保管实验”。尽管先前的改革研究将其起源定位于既定的皇室惯例，但本文认为该实验是尝试使郡政府与男爵土地管理的当代发展保持一致，因为直接开发取代了间接管理。这种新的观点被用来考虑国王及其官员如何认为新安排会在实践中起作用，以及该实验如何与英格兰王国内有关行政和金融的更广泛的皇家关注相关。