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The fighting bishop or abbot is a familiar figure to medievalists
and much of what is known of the military organization of England
in this period is based on ecclesiastical evidence. Unfortunately
the fighting cleric has generally been regarded as merely a baron
in clerical dress and has consequently fallen into the gap between
military and ecclesiastical history. This study addresses three
main areas: which clergy engaged in military activity in England,
why and when? By what means did they do so? And how did others
understand and react to these activities? The book shows that,
however vivid such characters as Odo of Bayeux might be in the
historical imagination, there was no archetypal militant prelate.
There was enormous variation in the character of the clergy that
became involved in warfare, their circumstances, the means by which
they pursued their military objectives and the way in which they
were treated by contemporaries and described by chroniclers. An
appreciation of the individual fighting cleric must be both
thematically broad and keenly aware of his context. Such
individuals cannot therefore be simply slotted into easy
categories, even (or perhaps especially) when those categories are
informed by contemporary polemic. The implications of this study
for our understanding of clerical identity are considerable, as the
easy distinction between clerics acting in a secular or
ecclesiastical capacity almost entirely breaks down and the legal
structures of the period are shown to be almost as equivocal and
idiosyncratic as the literary depictions. The implications for
military history are equally striking as organisational structures
are shown to be more temporary, fluid and 'political' than had
previously been understood.
A fresh look at William of Malmesbury which not only demonstrates
his real greatness as a historian and his European vision, but also
the breadth of his learning across a number of other disciplines.
In the past William of Malmesbury (1090-1143) has been seen as
first and foremost a historian of England, and little else. This
volume reveals not only William's real greatness as a historian and
his European vision, but also thebreadth and depth of his learning
across a number of other fields. Areas that receive particular
attention are William's historical writings, his historical vision
and interpretation of England's past; William and kingship;
William's language; William's medical knowledge; the influence of
Bede and other ancient writers on William's historiography; William
and chronology; William, Anselm of Canterbury and reform of the
English Church; William and the LatinClassics; William and the
Jews; and William as hagiographer. Overall, the volume offers a
broad coverage of William's learning, wide-ranging interests and
significance as revealed in his writings. Rodney M. Thomson is
Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of
Tasmania; Emily Dolmans is a lecturer in English Literature at
Jesus College and Oriel College, University of Oxford; Emily A.
Winkler is the John Cowdrey Junior Research Fellow in Medieval
History at St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford, and Departmental
Lecturer in Medieval History. Contributors: Anne E. Bailey, Emily
Dolmans, Daniel Gerrard, John Gillingham, Kati Ihnat, Ryan Kemp,
William Kynan-Wilson, Anne Lawrence-Mathers, Stanislav Mereminskiy,
Samu Niskanen, Joanna Phillips, Alheydis Plassmann, Sigbjorn
Sonnesyn, Rodney M. Thomson, Emily Joan Ward, Emily A. Winkler,
Michael Winterbottom.
The fighting bishop or abbot is a familiar figure to medievalists
and much of what is known of the military organization of England
in this period is based on ecclesiastical evidence. Unfortunately
the fighting cleric has generally been regarded as merely a baron
in clerical dress and has consequently fallen into the gap between
military and ecclesiastical history. This study addresses three
main areas: which clergy engaged in military activity in England,
why and when? By what means did they do so? And how did others
understand and react to these activities? The book shows that,
however vivid such characters as Odo of Bayeux might be in the
historical imagination, there was no archetypal militant prelate.
There was enormous variation in the character of the clergy that
became involved in warfare, their circumstances, the means by which
they pursued their military objectives and the way in which they
were treated by contemporaries and described by chroniclers. An
appreciation of the individual fighting cleric must be both
thematically broad and keenly aware of his context. Such
individuals cannot therefore be simply slotted into easy
categories, even (or perhaps especially) when those categories are
informed by contemporary polemic. The implications of this study
for our understanding of clerical identity are considerable, as the
easy distinction between clerics acting in a secular or
ecclesiastical capacity almost entirely breaks down and the legal
structures of the period are shown to be almost as equivocal and
idiosyncratic as the literary depictions. The implications for
military history are equally striking as organisational structures
are shown to be more temporary, fluid and 'political' than had
previously been understood.
The success of the Norman Conquest of Britain turned on one lucky
break. For months, William of Normandy waited for an opportunity to
cross the Channel and invade. But he needed favourable weather and
the wind refused to co-operate. The Anglo Saxon King Harold,
meanwhile, waited with his army and might well have defeated him.
But only weeks before the wind changed, Harold received shattering
news. The King of Norway had invaded Yorkshire with a huge Viking
army and 300 ships. Harold had to race north at breakneck speed to
defeat him and then, on hearing that William was finally crossing
the Channel, race back down the length of England with his
exhausted and depleted army to counter the Norman threat. Despite
this, the Battle of Hastings was a "close run thing"; Harold's
war-weary army very nearly won it. As we know, that didn't happen,
and Harold's eventual defeat had the most dramatic effect of any
defeat in the high Middle Ages. In a few short months, the ruler of
northern France became the master of Britain and within a year or
two had made his government effective across the whole country. It
was a staggering military success, on a par with the First Crusade
which followed it 30 years later. In this short, highly
entertaining book, Daniel Gerrard tells the story of Britain
before, during and after the Conquest, and explains how the Norman
kings built on a highly effective Anglo Saxon framework to lay the
foundations of modern Britain.
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Discovering William of Malmesbury (Paperback)
Rodney M. Thomson, Emily Dolmans, Emily A. Winkler; Contributions by Alheydis Plassmann, Anne E. Bailey, …
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R765
R687
Discovery Miles 6 870
Save R78 (10%)
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Ships in 9 - 15 working days
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A fresh look at William of Malmesbury which not only demonstrates
his real greatness as a historian and his European vision, but also
the breadth of his learning across a number of other disciplines.
In the past William of Malmesbury (1090-1143) has been seen as
first and foremost a historian of England, and little else. This
volume reveals not only William's real greatness as a historian and
his European vision, but also the breadth and depth of his learning
across a number of other fields. Areas that receive particular
attention are William's historical writings, his historical vision
and interpretation of England's past; William and kingship;
William's language; William's medical knowledge; the influence of
Bede and other ancient writers on William's historiography; William
and chronology; William, Anselm of Canterbury and reform of the
English Church; William and the Latin Classics; William and the
Jews; and William as hagiographer. Overall, the volume offers a
broad coverage of William's learning, wide-ranging interests and
significance as revealed in his writings.
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