In medieval English history, the loss of Normandy during the reign of King John (1199-1216) is regarded as marking the end of the "Anglo-Norman Realm," a territorial union between England and Normandy which existed from the "Norman Conquest" in 1066. Some scholars have attributed this loss to John's inability in military affairs, while others have cited the fiscal weakness of the government at that time. To discover the true cause of the loss, however, the presence of the barons who formed a personal network across the English Channel must also be considered. This article attempts to show how important a role these "cross-channel" barons played in maintaining the Anglo-Norman Realm based on an examination of scutage, a tax levied on tenants-in-chief by their lords during wartime, in particular changing attitudes concerning payment of that tax. During the reign of King Richard I, a time when the cross-channel barons were politically active during the king's absence, three scutages were levied : one was for the king's ransom, and the others for campaigns to defend English territories on the Continent. Judging from the related sources, the cross-channel barons appeared rather cooperative in paying for the king's ransom, but they seemed not only reluctant in paying for campaigns on the Continent, but also tried to obtain exemptions from payment. During John's reign, four scutages were levied, all to finance campaigns on the Continent before the loss of Normandy. Although some historians point to John's adamancy in collecting the taxes and a certain improvement in collection, which is evident in the figures presented in this article, more cross-channel barons were exempted from payment at that time than during Richard's reign, and even those who did pay seemed to no longer willing to do so. To gain their support, King John had to grant large amounts of land to these reluctant barons resulting in a decline in his own revenues. It was in this way that the cross-channel barons, who had once played an important role in supporting the Anglo-Norman Realm, became an equally important factor in its demise.
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