Coronations

Medieval and Early Modern Monarchic Ritual

János M. Bak

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9780520306141
• eBook ISBN: 9780520311121
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: European Medieval History
• Index: History

Fascination with royal pomp and circumstance is as old as kingship itself. The authors of Coronations examine royal ceremonies from the ninth to the sixteenth century, and find the very essence of the monarchical state in its public presentation of itself. This book is an enlightened response to the revived interest in political history, written from a perspective that cultural historians will also enjoy. The symbolic and ritual acts that served to represent and legitimate monarchical power in medieval and early modern Europe include not only royal and papal coronations but also festive entries, inaugural feasts, and rulers' funerals.Fifteen leading scholars from North America, Britain, France, Germany, Poland, and Denmark explore the forms and the underlying meanings of such events, as well as problems of relevant scholarship on these subjects. All the contributions demonstrate the importance of in-depth study of rulership for the understanding of premodern power structures. Emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary approaches, drawing on the findings of ethnography and anthropology, combined with rigorous critical evaluation of the written and iconic evidence. The editor's historiographical introduction surveys the past and present of this field of study and proposes some new lines of inquiry. "For 'reality' is not a one-dimensional matter: even if we can establish what actually transpired, we still need to ask how it was perceived by those present."This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1990.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• CONTENTS 1
• PREFACE
• Introduction Coronation Studies—Past, Present, and Future János M. Bak
• ONE Hincmar of Reims on King-making: The Evidence of the Annals of St. Bertin, 861-882 Janet L. Nelson
• TWO Inaugural Aspects of French Royal Ceremonials Ralph E. Giesey
• THREE A Coronation Program for the Age of Saint Louis: The Ordo of 1250 Jacques Le Goff
• FOUR The Manuscript of the Ordo of 1250 and its Illuminations Jean-Claude Bonne
• FIVE Copies in Context: The Coronation of Charles V in His Grandes Chroniques de France Anne D. Hedeman
• SIX The Medieval Entry Ceremony at Paris Lawrence M. Bryant
• SEVEN A Note on Viking Age Inaugurations Elisabeth Vestergaard
• EIGHT Coronation and Coronation Ordines in Medieval Scandinavia Erich Hojfmann
• NINE Gesture in the Coronation Cerem onies of Medieval Poland Aleksander Gieysztor
• TEN The Ordo for the Coronation of King Roger II of Sicily:| An Example of Dating from Internal Evidence Reinhard Elze
• ELEVEN Papal Coronations in Avignon Bernhard Schimmelpfennig
• TWELVE The Origins and Descent of the Fourth Recension of the English Coronation Andrew Hughes
• THIRTEEN “The Wonderfull Spectacle” The Civic Progress of Elizabeth I and the Troublesome Coronation Richard C. McCoy
• FOURTEEN “Continuity” versus “Change”: Historians and English Coronations of the Medieval and Early Modern Periods David J. Sturdy
• CONTRIBUTORS
• GENERAL INDEX
• INDEX OF MANUSCRIPTS