Dynasty and diaspora in the Latin East: the case of the Sourdevals.

Buck, Andrew D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1191-0723 2018. Dynasty and diaspora in the Latin East: the case of the Sourdevals. Journal of Medieval History 44 (2) , pp. 151-169. 10.1080/03044181.2018.1441743

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Abstract

Though primarily a pious exercise, the First Crusade formed part of a broader medieval ‘aristocratic diaspora’ – a movement often attributed to those from Normandy – and offered enterprising figures the chance of a new life in the East. This article examines how one such figure, the Italo-Norman Robert of Sourdeval, whose wider kinship group was also found throughout the Anglo-Norman world, forged a career in the newly formed Crusader States. It outlines how his descendants continued, and built upon, Robert’s foundations, securing influence in the Latin East during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries by demonstrating an impressive ability to cross political divides, forge political relationships, and use periods of turmoil to their advantage. Through this family, therefore, important insights can be gained into the dynastic strategies deployed by crusading nobles seeking to forge positions of power, but also, more broadly, into the nature of the so-called Norman diaspora.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	History, Archaeology and Religion
Publisher:	Taylor and Francis Group
ISSN:	1873-1279
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	14 August 2022
Date of Acceptance:	18 July 2017
Last Modified:	04 Dec 2024 00:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/151844

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