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The Royal Saints of Anglo-Saxon England: A Study of West Saxon and East Anglian Cults (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series, Series Number 9)
Within Anglo-Saxon England there was a strong and enduring tradition of royal sanctity - of men and women of royal birth who, in an age before the development of papal canonisation, came to be venerated as saints by the regional church. This study, which focuses on some of the best-documented cults of the ancient kingdoms of Wessex and East Anglia, is a contribution towards understanding the growth and continuing importance of England's royal cults. The author examines contemporary and near-contemporary theoretical interpretations of the relationship between royal birth and sanctity, analyses in depth the historical process of cult-creation, and addresses the problem of continuity of cult in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of 1066. An understanding therefore emerges of the place of the English royal saint not only in Anglo-Saxon society but also in that of the Anglo-Norman realm.
- GenresHistory
356 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 1989
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October 11, 2021
The Royal Saints of Anglo-Saxon England, by S Ridyard, 1988, 252 pgs or 340 all in,
The first impression that I had of this book was that it felt old. The font, paper quality and style, including untranslated Latin, made it feel as if it were a few generations behind the present. In addition, quite a few of the scholars cited, Wallace-Hadrill, Chaney, Fisher, Stenton and Brooke were much older and this further detracted from any notion that it was cutting edge stuff. Although in fairness, on occasion a few more recent experts, such as Keynes and Rollason do get a look in. This feeling of age was not helped by the fact that the 'very good condition' copy that I'd bought was an ex-library book that seems to have had a hard life.
The Chapters include:
1, The royal saints – problems of interpretation
2, The sources
3, Royal birth and the foundations of sanctity: theoretical interpretations
4, The cult of St Edburga at Winchester and Pershore
5, The children of Edgar
6, The royal cults of Ely
7, The cult of St Edmund
8, Piety, patronage and politics: towards an understanding of the Anglo-Saxon royal cults
It was a shame that the sources were dealt with separately. It would probably have worked better if the sources for each were tackled at the beginning of that chapter. On occasion Ridyard had a nice turn of phrase, such as describing Tonberht when faced with marriage to a holy virgin wife and dying soon afterwards, as taking the path of least resistance.
Beyond this, there was actually lots of good stuff in here. However, it's not a subject that I find that interesting in its own right. To me it is the incidental details that emerge about Anglo-Saxon society that are fascinating. The chapter on St Edmund was particularly interesting, especially the notion that Edmund's bishop may have held some kind of authority after his death in a similar way to that of the Archbishop of York. Although the book was written prior to the discovery of a few coins with the names of two native kings that appear to post-date Edmund's death, in this instance, that would bring the similarities to York even closer if there was indeed a power share such as this. Ridyard further postulates that it was during this period that the cult of St Edmund was established.
The main things you'll take away from this book are that kings became sacral when martyred, whereas for royal women, they relied on promotion by their religious houses to become saints. These royal women were especially useful, such as Edith who went from royal patron to patron saint. This isn't a bad book and in places it was quite good, but it was never one that really excited me to read.
The first impression that I had of this book was that it felt old. The font, paper quality and style, including untranslated Latin, made it feel as if it were a few generations behind the present. In addition, quite a few of the scholars cited, Wallace-Hadrill, Chaney, Fisher, Stenton and Brooke were much older and this further detracted from any notion that it was cutting edge stuff. Although in fairness, on occasion a few more recent experts, such as Keynes and Rollason do get a look in. This feeling of age was not helped by the fact that the 'very good condition' copy that I'd bought was an ex-library book that seems to have had a hard life.
The Chapters include:
1, The royal saints – problems of interpretation
2, The sources
3, Royal birth and the foundations of sanctity: theoretical interpretations
4, The cult of St Edburga at Winchester and Pershore
5, The children of Edgar
6, The royal cults of Ely
7, The cult of St Edmund
8, Piety, patronage and politics: towards an understanding of the Anglo-Saxon royal cults
It was a shame that the sources were dealt with separately. It would probably have worked better if the sources for each were tackled at the beginning of that chapter. On occasion Ridyard had a nice turn of phrase, such as describing Tonberht when faced with marriage to a holy virgin wife and dying soon afterwards, as taking the path of least resistance.
Beyond this, there was actually lots of good stuff in here. However, it's not a subject that I find that interesting in its own right. To me it is the incidental details that emerge about Anglo-Saxon society that are fascinating. The chapter on St Edmund was particularly interesting, especially the notion that Edmund's bishop may have held some kind of authority after his death in a similar way to that of the Archbishop of York. Although the book was written prior to the discovery of a few coins with the names of two native kings that appear to post-date Edmund's death, in this instance, that would bring the similarities to York even closer if there was indeed a power share such as this. Ridyard further postulates that it was during this period that the cult of St Edmund was established.
The main things you'll take away from this book are that kings became sacral when martyred, whereas for royal women, they relied on promotion by their religious houses to become saints. These royal women were especially useful, such as Edith who went from royal patron to patron saint. This isn't a bad book and in places it was quite good, but it was never one that really excited me to read.
May 8, 2023
Розвідка про святих з королівських англо-саксонських родин та їх долю в церкві після того, як Вільгельм Завойовник прибіг на рідні береги. В основному чоловіки досягали святості або на полі битви, або після того, як їх вбивали свої ж феодали, а жінки - попрацювавши в монастирях. В цьому плані жінки з Ілі відзначились особливо, пять дочок, дві онуки і одна праонука короля Анни непогамовно молились і трудились, половина з них стала абатисами в Англії, а інші поїхали на континент засновувати (про них, на жаль, мало даних, а цікаво було б). Причому до смирення всім було далеченько; моя улюблениця - свята Едіта, донька короля Едгара. Коли на неї наїхав якийсь єпископ, що, мовляв, ви хоч черниця, а носите золототкану одіж, та йому добряче натовкла, бо "помисли можуть бути чисті і під пишними шатами, а не тільки, ваша святосте, під вашими драними хутрами". Будьмо як Едіта.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews