A Tale of Two Monasteries
eBook - PDF

A Tale of Two Monasteries

Westminster and Saint-Denis in the Thirteenth Century

  1. 280 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

A Tale of Two Monasteries

Westminster and Saint-Denis in the Thirteenth Century

About this book

A Tale of Two Monasteries takes an unprecedented look at one of the great rivalries of the Middle Ages and offers it as a revealing lens through which to view the intertwined histories of medieval England and France. This is the first book to systematically compare Westminster Abbey and the abbey of Saint-Denis--two of the most important ecclesiastical institutions of the thirteenth century--and to do so through the lives and competing careers of the two men who ruled them, Richard de Ware of Westminster and Mathieu de Vendôme of Saint-Denis.
Esteemed historian William Jordan weaves a breathtaking narrative of the social, cultural, and political history of the period. It was an age of rebellion and crusades, of artistic and architectural innovation, of unprecedented political reform, and of frustrating international diplomacy--and Richard and Mathieu, in one way or another, played important roles in all these developments. Jordan traces their rise from obscure backgrounds to the highest ranks of political authority, Abbot Richard becoming royal treasurer of England, and Abbot Mathieu twice serving as a regent of France during the crusades. By enabling us to understand the complex relationships the abbots and their rival institutions shared with each other and with the kings and social networks that supported and exploited them, A Tale of Two Monasteries paints a vivid portrait of medieval society and politics, and of the ambitious men who influenced them so profoundly.

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Yes, you can access A Tale of Two Monasteries by William Chester Jordan in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & European Medieval History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. COVER
  2. TITLE
  3. COPYRIGHT
  4. CONTENTS
  5. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
  6. PREFACE
  7. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  8. TECHNICAL MATTERS: CURRENCIES, CALENDARS, NOMENCLATURE
  9. CHAPTER I: England and France in the Early Thirteenth Century
  10. CHAPTER II: Two Great Monasteries and Two Young Men
  11. CHAPTER III: The Treaty of Paris
  12. CHAPTER IV: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
  13. CHAPTER V: A Monumental Rivalry
  14. CHAPTER VI: Two Royal Successions
  15. CHAPTER VII: The Abbeys in the New Regimes
  16. CHAPTER VIII: Diplomacy and Governance
  17. CHAPTER IX: Epilogue
  18. BIBLIOGRAPHY
  19. INDEX