Medieval Resource Management

I am interested in how people in medieval Europe have managed various resources to make the most of their potential. So far I have looked at the forest and fishery management and cathedral construction in the early Anglo-Norman period (1066-1135) in England and Normandy.

Publications

"Resources, Roles & Conflict: Active Resource Management in the Anglo-Norman Kingdom"

Masters thesis, University of Houston, 2004, directed by Sally Vaughn.

Link to my Master's Thesis as a pdf

Abstract: Contrary to the view that the Middle Ages was simply a time of rapid environmental exploitation and degradation, legal documents of the Anglo-Norman kings who reigned England and Normandy 1066-1135 reveal that medieval landholders practiced conscious management of their resources. These resources centered on woodland and fisheries, both daily necessities. Because of the value of woodland products, foresters employed by the king, lay nobility, and ecclesiastics actively managed trees and vegetation. The understanding of ecosystem damage is evident in controls on fisheries, specifically restrictions on blocking the passage of fish in waterways. These conservation efforts were not aimed at environmental preservation because of altruistic motivations, but rather to preserve needed resources for economic and political ends. Because of the value of the environmental riches at their disposal, conflict was inevitable and could escalate to violence. These incidents reinforce the conclusion that the Anglo-Normans practiced a defacto active resource management.

“Multi-use management of the medieval Anglo-Norman forest”

Journal of the Oxford University History Society, 1.1 (2004). Available online

Abstract: Contrary to the common view that the Middle Ages was a time of rapid environmental exploitation and degradation, legal documents of the first three Anglo-Norman kings, who reigned over England and Normandy from 1066 to 1135, reveal that medieval landholders in their kingdom practised conscious forestry management to balance demands on woodland resources. The king, nobility, and clergy employed foresters and other forest custodians to delicately balance requirements for timber, pastureland, and hunting, in order to accommodate the needs of everyday life as well as noble entertainment. The Anglo-Normans employed multi-use forest management that is strikingly similar to modern forestry practises of the United Kingdom and the United States.

“Forests and forestry—Europe”

in Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Medieval World, ed. Pam Crabtree (New York: Facts on File, 2008), 473-475.

Forthcoming Publications

“The roots of the English royal forest,” in Anglo-Norman Studies 32, ed. Chris Lewis (Boydell Press, 2010).

Conference Papers

‘“Without which the forests cannot be preserved’: Magna Carta, ecclesiastics, and forest sustainability,” European Society for Environmental History, 2005. Summary published in History and Sustainability: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of the European Society for Environmental History (Florence: Università di Firenze, 2005).

“Mirror images: Nobles and clergy who copied royal resource management strategies,” International Medieval Congress (Leeds), 2004.

“The environmental cost of medieval cathedral construction,” International Congress on Medieval Studies (Kalamazoo), 2004.

“Implications of feeding pigs in the Anglo-Norman forest,” European Society for Environmental History, 2003. Summary published in Dealing With Diversity: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference of the European Society for Environmental History (Prague: Charles University Faculty of Science, 2003).

“The intertwined nature of politics and the environment in Magna Carta,” Texas Medieval Association Annual Conference, 2003.

“Hide and seek: Finding medieval environmental history in hidden places,” National Council for Public History, 2003.

“Foresters, hunters & hawkers: Agents of Anglo-Norman resource conservation,” Texas Medieval Association Annual Conference, 2002.