There are several reasons why the chronicle is particularly suited as the topic of a yearbook. In the first place there is its ubiquity: all over Europe and throughout the Middle Ages chronicles were written, both in Latin and in the vernacular, and not only in Europe but also in the countries neighbouring on it, like those of the Arabic world. Secondly, all chronicles raise such questions as by whom, for whom, or for what purpose were they written, how do they reconstruct the past, what determined the choice of verse or prose, or what kind of literary influences are discernable in them. Finally, many chronicles have been beautifully illuminated, and the relation between text and image leads to a wholly different set of questions. The yearbook The Medieval Chronicle aims to provide a representative survey of the on-going research in the field of chronicle studies, illustrated by examples from specific chronicles from a wide variety of countries, periods and cultural backgrounds. The Medieval Chronicle is published in cooperation with the "Medieval Chronicle Society".

A series which is a model of its kind EDMUND KING, HISTORY The contributions collected in this volume demonstrate the full range and vitality of current work on the Anglo-Norman period in a variety of disciplines. They begin with Elisabeth van Houts' Allen Brown Memorial Lecture, which makes a major contribution to understanding the culture of early tenth-century Normandy. A number of essays deal illuminatingly with monastic culture (both male and female) and with associated literary production, from the making ofthe famous Worcester cartularies to new insights into the cultural world of forgery. Reading in the monastic refectory, the high-quality of female monastic administration, the history of charters for lay beneficiaries in the kingdom of Scots, attitudes to women and power, and an exciting article on the nature of maritime communities on both sides of the Channel also feature, and there is a provocative and fascinating comparison of Henry II's and FrederickBarbarossa's respective treatments of their families. David Bates is Professorial Fellow, University of East Anglia. Contributors: Ilya Afanasyev, Mathieu Arnoux, Robert F. Berkhofer III, Laura Cleaver, Matthew Hammond, Elisabeth van Houts, Susan M. Johns, Catherine Letouzey-Réty, Alheydis Plassmann, Sigbjørn Olsen Sønnesyn, Andrew Wareham, Teresa Webber, Emily A. Winkler.