Monarchs In The Middle Ages

Explores how kings and rulers in medieval Europe gained control and governed.

Originally published in 1972, Medieval Monarchy in Action covers a period extending from the reign of Henry I to the early years of Henry IV. The book examines how the Saxon and Salian monarchs of the tenth and eleventh centuries built the foundations of the German Empire, this volume contains fifty documents which present the reader with the vivid picture of the imperial activities. The book contains original source material, including diplomas issued by the emperors, most of which have never before been published in English. Both the introduction and documents reveal the workings of the imperial chancery, the utilization of the Church as the foundation for building a strong monarchy, and the careful conscription of learned ecclesiastics into the royal bureaucracy. The period of Saxon-Salian dominance is an important area of study for papal-imperial relations in the Middle Ages and also for modern European history.

This is a pictorial history of the kings of England, from William the Conqueror, the first Norman monarch to Richard III, the last of the Plantagenets

The Archaeology of the Medieval English Monarchy looks at the period between the reign of William the Conqueror and that of Henry VIII, bringing together physical evidence for the kings and their courts. John Steane looks at the symbols of power and regalia including crowns, seals and thrones. He considers Royal patronage, architecture and ideas on burials and tombs to unravel the details of their daily lives supported with many illustrations.

Monarchy is an enduring institution that still makes headlines today. It has always been preoccupied with image and perception, never more so than in the period covered by this volume. The collection of papers gathered here from international scholars demonstrates that monarchical image and perception went far beyond cultural, symbolic and courtly display – although these remain important – and were, in fact, always deeply concerned with the practical expression of authority, politics and power. This collection is unique in that it covers the subject from two innovative angles: it not only addresses both kings and queens together, but also both the medieval and early modern periods. Consequently, this allows significant comparisons to be made between male and female monarchy as well as between eras. Such an approach reveals that continuity was arguably more important than change over a span of some five centuries. In removing the traditional gender and chronological barriers that tend to lead to four separate areas of studies for kings and queens in medieval and early modern history, the papers here are free to encompass male and female royal rulers ranging across Europe from the early-thirteenth to the late-seventeenth centuries to examine the image and perception of monarchy in England, Scotland, France, Burgundy, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. Collectively this volume will be of interest to all those studying medieval and early modern monarchy and for those wishing to learn about the connections and differences between the two.

A survey of the Middle Ages through the lives of its monarchs.