Textus Roffensis

In studies ranging from Norman Sicily to Scandinavia, six focus on aspects of Scottish history. Papers discuss authenticity and forgery, royal and aristocratic values, the history of William the Conqueror and the Marshal earls. Contemporary historians' perceptions of the Jews and Byzantium complete the roll call.

The study also takes into account the extensive body of literature that has developed since Hope's study, on the Anglo-Saxon, Romanesque, and Gothic periods in Britain."--BOOK JACKET.

When William I and his army arrived in Canterbury they found a powerful and long-established ecclesiastical centre, whose traditions and culture differed in many respects from those of Normandy. The Conquest brought dramatic change: Archbishop Stigand was deprived in 1070 to be replaced by the Norman abbot Lanfranc; Canterbury Cathedral itself was burnt down in 1067 and rebuilt in a Norman style. But in the following years Canterbury's position in the English church was preserved and enhanced and Norman churchmen came to appreciate more fully the importance of their English inheritance. These original essays provide a reassessment of this subject reflecting modern interests and research. They discuss the political setting of Canterbury and its churches, both locally and nationally, the aims and achievements of its leaders, the cults of its saints and many aspects of its artistic achievement. Together they bring into focus what is a crucial test case for the impact of the Norman Conquest on English politics, society and culture.

During the early Middle Ages, King Alfred (reigned 871-99) gained fame as the ruler who brought learning back to England after decades of Viking invasion. Although analysis of Alfred's canon typically focuses on his religious and philosophical texts, his relatively overlooked law code, or Domboc, reveals much about his rule, and how he was perceived in subsequent centuries. Joining major voices in the fields of early English law and literature, this exploration of King Alfred's influential text traces its evolution from its 9th century origins to reappearances in the 11th, 12th, and 16th centuries. Alfred's use of the vernacular and representation of secular practices, this work contends, made the Domboc an ideal text for establishing a particularly "English" national identity.