The Anglo-Flemish treaties and flemish soldiers in England 1101–1163

This chapter focuses on the interplay between the wider context of the experiences of itinerant Flemings, and the series of diplomatic treaties that were concluded between the kings of England and the counts of Flanders over the course of the twelfth century. Three examples of these treaties survive to the present day, all concluded in Dover in 1101, 1110 and 1163, though these represent only a sample of the diplomatic exchanges that took place between England and Flanders. The Dover treaties concern an arrangement by which the counts of Flanders promised to provide a force of knights in return for an annual money fief. The chapter uses Anglo-Flemish treaties in examining firstly what kind of men the mercenaries were, and secondly what role mercenaries, mercenary recruitment, and military service played in the socio-political continuity from the Norman Conquest to the second half of the twelfth century.Keywords: Anglo-Flemish Treaties; Dover treaties; England; Flemish Soldiers

Ancient history · Archaeology · CONQUEST · Context (archaeology) · Economic history · Flemish · Political science · Politics · History · Law · Medieval History and Crusades · Medieval Literature and History