Social identity is a concept of increasing importance in the social sciences. Here, the concept is applied to the often atheoretical realm of medieval studies. Each contributor focuses on a particular topic of early medieval identity -- ethnicity, national identity, social location, subjectivity/personhood, political organization, kinship, the body, gender, age, proximity/regionality, memory, and ideological systems. The result is a pioneering vision of medieval social identity and a challenge to some of the received general wisdoms about this period.
The Arthurian legend has inspired European writers and artists for almost fifteen hundred years. From shadowy beginnings in early medieval chronicles and poems, it has developed through medieval romance to modern films and TV series. What can account for the evergreen popularity of the ‘Once and Future King’? There is no simple answer, but the Companion outlines the evolution of the legend from the earliest documentary sources to Spamalot and analyses how some of the major motifs of the legend have been passed down in both medieval and modern texts.
Many aspects of medieval monarchy can only be recovered through archaeology. This archaeological survey of kingship in the period from the reign of William the Conqueror to that of Henry VIII brings together the physical evidence for the Kings and their courts in the form of a great variety of objects and buildings. John Steane looks at the changing perceptions of the cult of medieval kingship through symbols of power and regalia including crowns, seals and thrones, such as the Coronation Chair of Edward I.
Gothic Kings of Britain - The Lives of 31 Medieval Rulers 1016 - 1399
This biographical history tells the story of 31 Gothic monarchs who fought in the crusades, enforced their feudal rights throughout the kingdom, sponsored the growth of representative government through a parliament, and ultimately created a military power that would dominate European affairs. In the process, the narrative recaptures the dramatic and chaotic span of the years between 1000 and 1400, when the great European monarchies were still in their formative stages.
Interest in things Celtic has grown in the last generation, with an increasingly political aspect, for example in the establishment of a Scottish Parliament and the enhanced status granted to the Welsh language. The claims of the Celtic nations often stem from medieval and earlier events, many of which are poorly documented.
