Nations and Loyalties: the Outlook of a Twelfth-century Schoolman (John of Salisbury,c. 1120–1180)

Abstract

By the twelfth century literate Europeans—and probably a far wider range of the population—were well aware of the differences between nations. The word most commonly used by twelfth-century writers to indicate nations or ethnic groups wasgens. R. Bartlett in his workGerald of Waleshas observed that gens was a fluid concept: Gerald of Wales regarded the Welsh and Bretons as belonging to a singlegensbecause of their ethnic relationship; the Irish and English weregentes; and the inhabitants of the Welsh Marches were also agens—‘agensraised in the Marches’.