Alexander II

Alexander II
Author: Richard D. Oram
Publisher: Birlinn
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2012-10-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1907909052
GET BOOK

By equal measure state-builder and political unifier and ruthless opportunist and bloody-handed aggressor, Alexander II has been praised or vilified by past historians but has rarely been viewed in the round. This book explores the king's successes and failures, offering a fresh assessment of his contribution to the making of Scotland as a nation. It lifts the focus from an introspective national history to look at the man and his kingdom in wider British and European history, examining his international relationships and offering the first detailed analysis of the efforts to work out a lasting diplomatic solution to Anglo-Scottish conflict over his inherited claims to the northern counties of England. More than just a political narrative, the book also seeks to illuminate aspects of the king's character and his relationships with those around him, especially his mother, his first wife Joan Plantagenet, and the great magnates, clerics and officials who served in his household and administration. The book illustrates the processes by which the mosaic of petty principalities and rival power-bases that covered the map of late 12th-century Scotland had become by the mid-13th century a unified state, hybrid in culture(s) and multilingual but acknowledging a common identity as Scots.

Deeds of the Abbots of St Albans

Deeds of the Abbots of St Albans
Author: James G. Clark
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Total Pages: 1009
Release: 2019
Genre: History
ISBN: 1783270764
GET BOOK

The Deeds of the abbots of St Albans records the history of one of the most important abbeys in England, closely linked to the royal family and home to a school of distinguished chroniclers, including Matthew Paris and Thomas Walsingham. It offers many insights into the life of the monastery, its buildings and its role as a maker of books, and covers the period from the Conquest to the mid-fifteenth century. The Deeds of the abbots of St Albans is the longest continuous chronicle of a medieval monastery in England, following its fortunes from its first foundation in the wake of the first Viking raids to its status as a proud and prosperous pillar of the church establishment more than six centuries later. More than merely a common, conventual annal, the Deeds drew contributions from the most accomplished chroniclers of the St Albans school including Matthew Paris, Thomas Walsingham and perhaps William Rishanger. It is a history of one of the most important abbeys, under royal patronage and always at the apex of the church hierarchy; it also offers a glimpse of life inside the monastic community from the Conquest to within a century of the Dissolution. There are detailed descriptions of the building, and rebuilding, of the abbey church, and recounts the abbey's commitment to the making of books, from thefirst flowering of the scriptorium in the twelfth century - when a famous psalter was made for the anchorite Christina of Markyate - to its Indian summer in the years before 1400 under Thomas Walsingham himself. There are rare snapshots of the daily routine of the monks, their liturgical observances, their interactions with their staff, tenants, townspeople and guests. And it captures the colour and character of the celebrated figures seen at the abbey, from King John to Edward the Black Prince.

Crusader Castle

Crusader Castle
Author: Michael S Fulton
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2024-03-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1399091298
GET BOOK

The formidable strongholds built by the crusaders are among the most iconic castles of the Middle Ages. These mighty structures offer fascinating insights into the lives of those who built and occupied them, and the role they played in the region’s deep history of conflict. The castle of Kerak, in modern Jordan, is one of the largest, most imposing and best preserved of them all, and Michael Fulton’s detailed, authoritative and highly illustrated account is the ideal guide to it. His close analysis of the fabric of this monumental building, and his description of the centuries of conflict associated with it, make absorbing reading. He takes the reader through the early military history of the castle – from the time it was constructed in the 1140s by Pagan the Butler, through the provocative actions of Reynald of Châtillon and Saladin’s capture of the castle in 1188. He also recounts its later history under Muslim rule, when the castle served as a treasury for the Ayyubid and Mamluk sultans of Egypt. Falling into decline under the Ottomans, Kerak has since regained its importance as a tourist attraction. A part-by-part examination of the castle and surviving elements of the adjoining medieval town allows readers to appreciate the different stages in the development of this incredible structure and to visualize how it evolved and functioned at different points in time. The detailed architectural guide will be an essential reference for readers who have the opportunity to visit the castle and for those who are keen to gain the best possible understanding of it without going to the site.

The Cult of St Thomas Becket in the Plantagenet World, C.1170-c.1220

The Cult of St Thomas Becket in the Plantagenet World, C.1170-c.1220
Author: Paul Webster (Medievalist)
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2016
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1783271612
GET BOOK

The extraordinary growth and development of the cult of St Thomas Becket is investigated here, with a particular focus on its material culture. Thomas Becket - the archbishop of Canterbury cut down in his own cathedral just after Christmas 1170 - stands amongst the most renowned royal ministers, churchmen, and saints of the Middle Ages. He inspired the work of medieval writers and artists, and remains a compelling subject for historians today. Yet many of the political, religious, and cultural repercussions of his murder and subsequent canonisation remain to be explored in detail. This book examines the development of the cult and the impact of the legacy of Saint Thomas within the Plantagenet orbit of the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries - the "Empire" assembled by King Henry II, defended by his son King Richard the Lionheart, and lost by King John. Traditional textual and archival sources, such as miracle collections, charters, and royal and papal letters, are used in conjunction with the material culture inspired by the cult, toemphasise the wide-ranging impact of the murder and of the cult's emergence in the century following the martyrdom. From the archiepiscopal church at Canterbury, to writers and religious houses across the Plantagenet lands, to thecourts of Henry II, his children, and the bishops of the Angevin world, individuals and communities adapted and responded to one of the most extraordinary religious phenomena of the age. Dr Paul Webster is currently Lecturer in Medieval History and Project Manager of the Exploring the Past adult learners progression pathway at Cardiff University; Dr Marie-Pierre Gelin is a Teaching Fellow in the History Department at University College London. Contributors: Colette Bowie, Elma Brenner, José Manuel Cerda, Anne J. Duggan, Marie-Pierre Gelin, Alyce A. Jordan, Michael Staunton, Paul Webster.