The culture of insurgents in early modern Europe was primarily an oral one; memories of social conflicts in the communities affected were passed on through oral forms such as songs and legends. This popular history continued to influence political choices and actions through and after the early modern period. The chapters in this book examine numerous examples from across Europe of how memories of revolt were perpetuated in oral cultures, and they analyse how traditions were used. From the German Peasants' War of 1525 to the counter-revolutionary guerrillas of the 1790s, oral traditions can offer radically different interpretations of familiar events. This is a 'history from below', and a history from song, which challenges existing historiographies of early modern revolts.

The culture of insurgents in early modern Europe was primarily an oral one; memories of social conflicts in the communities affected were passed on through oral forms such as songs and legends. This popular history continued to influence political choices and actions through and after the early modern period. The chapters in this book examine numerous examples from across Europe of how memories of revolt were perpetuated in oral cultures, and they analyse how traditions were used. From the German Peasants' War of 1525 to the counter-revolutionary guerrillas of the 1790s, oral traditions can offer radically different interpretations of familiar events. This is a 'history from below', and a history from song, which challenges existing historiographies of early modern revolts.

This volume includes "The Influence of Nineteenth-Century Anthologies of Celtic Music in Redefining Celtic Nationalism," by Graham Aubrey; "Breuddwyd Rhonabwy and Memoria," by Matthieu Boyd; "A Reactionary Dimension in Progressive Revolutionary Theories? The Case of James Connolly's Socialism Founded on the Re-Conversion of Ireland to the Celtic System of Common Ownership," by Olivier Coquelin; "The Spiteful Tongue: Breton Song Practices and the Art of the Insult," by Natalie A. Franz; "Celtic Democracy: Appreciating the Role Played by Alliances and Elections in Celtic Political Systems," by D. Blair Gibson; "Pendragon's Ancestors," by Nathalie Ginoux; "When Historians Study Breton Oral Ballads: A Cultural Approach," by Eva Guillorel; "Textual and Historical Evidence for an Early British Tristan Tradition," by Sabine Heinz; "Time and the Irish: An Analysis of the Temporal Frameworks Employed by Sir Henry Maine, Eoin MacNeill, and James Connolly in Their Writings on Early Modern Ireland," by Heather Laird; "'And thus I will it': Queen Medh and the Will to Power," by Edyta Lehmann; "Judas, His Sister, and the Miraculous Cock in the Middle Irish Poem Crist ro crochadh," by Christopher Leydon; "Se principen nominat: Rhetorical Self-Fashioning and Epistolary Style in the Letters of Owain Gwynedd," by Patricia Malone; "Abduction, Swordplay, Monsters, and Mistrust: Findabair, Gwenhwyfa, and the Restoration of Honour," by Sharon Paice MacLeod; and "Performing a Literary Paternity Test: Bonedd yr Arwyr and the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi," by Sarah Zeiser.

This is a vivid introduction, by two of the foremost scholars in the field, to one of the most fascinating and little-known song traditions in Europe, the Breton gwerz, or ballad. These narrative songs, collected in Western Brittany from the 19th century to the present day, recount a wealth of stories based on tragic local events or legends. They tell of shipwrecks, abductions, accidents and murders, miraculous rescues, penitent souls, and strange journeys. Quite unlike songs from the neighbouring French tradition, and distinct from anything else in the other Celtic languages, these ballads unfold in clear, spare verses, filled with striking imagery: they are often highly dramatic in nature. Historians of popular culture will find much to explore here, as will medievalists interested in tracing themes and legends across different European cultures, or linguists looking for rare material in Breton. But the gwerziou speak to readers and listeners of all kinds, with stories of violence, love, and grief that touch us directly today. This generous selection of songs is presented here for the first time in the original Breton with English translations and musical notation; an accompanying CD showcases some of the most famous Breton traditional singers. A comprehensive introductory essay offers insights into the history of ballad collection in Brittany, the nature of the songs, and the contexts in which they have been performed.