Book Review: ‘English Identity and Political Culture in the Fourteenth Century’

By Natasha Brake, Third Year History Student

In the book ‘English Identity and Political Culture' in the Fourteenth Century’, Andrea Ruddick assesses the role of nationalism in England in the long Fourteenth Century, from 1272 to 1399. Early on in the introduction, Ruddick sets out her intention to see how nationhood was conceived in late Medieval England, who it was expressed by and for, and the role it played in politics, society and culture. Ruddick’s work is split into six chapters detailing what it meant to be English. The first chapter looked at England as a territory and an imagined space. Chapter’s two and three looked at the English people, their legal and cultural understandings and addressed the importance of the vernacular. In chapter four she looked at the role of government in England, while in chapter five looking at the rule of the English government outside of England, particularly in Wales, Scotland and Gascony. Finally, she looks at the role of the Church in chapter six as it works alongside government.

Ruddick claims this area is understudied and therefore fits her work into the current historiography. Looking at the historiography of nationalism, including modern political theorists, Ruddick is able to argue that nationalist writings of the 19th century Whig historians have distorted our view of medieval national histories. Ruddick argues, against some historians such as A.D. Smith, Benedict Anderson and Patrick Geary, that the concept of nationalism existed and mattered in Medieval politics, just in a different form to how we would define it today. Smith, Anderson and Geary all argued that nationalism was a modern phenomenon and did not occur in the 14th century. Smith argued that what Ruddick is studying is just “pre-modern ethnic bases that laid the foundations for the later development of some modern nation-states”, while not being nations themselves yet. For example, Ruddick disagrees with J.G.A. Pocock, as he rejects the 4 nations view of Medieval Britain, claiming it was created by Whig historians. However, Ruddick argues the 4 nations model was one of the most universally accepted medieval concepts in Britain.

The title of Ruddick’s book, “English Identity and Political Culture in the Fourteenth Century” can seem slightly convoluted. However, she calls it this to avoid the negative connotations of the word nationalism. Ruddick avoids using the word nationalism due to the parallels that could be drawn by current extremist movements with medieval nations and modern issues. While some historians argue medieval nationalism does not count because it does not fit the modern criteria of the word, Ruddick instead sets out to define medieval English nationalism in its own terms, that is, how people would have viewed themselves and their own “national” identity. It is possible that nationalism in the 14th century is ignored by some historians due to the insistence that nationalism was created in the 19th century. This is why Ruddick’s approach is interesting and goes against current ideas. She looks at how the English people saw themselves and defined their own sense of “Englishness”, rather than trying to fit medieval England into the modern criteria of nationalism.

It can be considered however, that Ruddick spends much of her time in the book trying to define nationalism, nations and nation-states into explanations that fit her work. She does this so that we do not go into reading her book with our own preconceptions and views, which may affect to a great extent how we interpret the book. As Ruddick is so focused on explaining her terms so that people who read her book understand it correctly, she gives herself less time to answer the questions and aims she sets out to, such as how a sense of national identity was expressed.

In terms of methodology and use of sources, Ruddick differs from others in a similar field. She focuses on government documents, such as Parliamentary writs and records, claiming that increased literacy meant they were understood by more people and spends time explaining their dissemination. Ruddick claims these are useful sources while others may see them as too predictable. Ruddick argues they reflect how English nationalism was heightened by government during wartime to increase taxes, such as in the invasion of Wales and Scotland and at different points in the Hundred Years War. Using government documents as a way to consider national sentiment is another part of Ruddick’s different approach. However, while using more of one kind of source, she can be seen to neglect another. Ruddick herself argues that literature in Medieval England was important in shedding light to the popular or elite opinions, depending on the author. While she does consider chronicles such as Robert of Gloucester’s chronicle and Higden’s accounts, Ruddick only uses and analyses one literary author, the poems of Lawrence Minot. Minot’s work is constantly referred to in the book, however there is little analysis of its context. As a result, it can be considered Ruddick fits the sources to her points rather than concluding points from the sources. Ruddick admits to using mostly elite sources in the book but claims that you can infer what popular opinions were through this. For example, Ruddick looks at ecclesiastical documents and orders to the clergy from the king or archbishops when analysing the relationship between church and state. While these orders were meant to be widely disseminated by the clergy to the laity, Ruddick argues that we cannot know whether the laity completely accepted what they were preached or whether they did not believe it at all.

Overall, this book is useful in understanding nationalism in Medieval England, particularly Ruddick’s approach to see nationalism in England as how people viewed themselves. “English Identity and Political Culture in the Fourteenth Century”, while being on a very interesting and somewhat understudied topic, is not the most accessible book. Some sections of the book, such as her close analysis of linguistics in chapter 3 were a more challenging read and require more background knowledge. The book is not the answer to the question of the concept of medieval nationalism, but it does provide an interesting insight. While being an academic book, the topic could be interesting to a wider group of people, maybe if it was framed or phrased slightly differently, then sections of Ruddick’s book could have a slightly wider appeal.

In conclusion, Ruddick has written a very interesting and meticulously detailed book on an understudied topic and has provided a new approach. She explains how her argument fits into existing historiography and how her approach differs, by using different sources and looking at how medieval people viewed themselves rather than viewing them by modern standards. This book is helpful to read in understanding medieval nationalism in England and her approaches can also be applied to other possible medieval nations. Ruddick explains how the role of warfare increased the need for national sentiment to unite “English” people together. More could be done in the area to challenge or support Ruddick’s argument, possibly using a slightly broader set of primary sources.

Cover Image Credit: British Library on Unsplash