Under the command of William Marshall, Chancellor of England, Garren is the king's most trusted and loyal servant. When Garren is ordered to marry into a family deeply loyal to Prince John, the knight is understandably reluctant; the House of de Rosa is infamous for its bloodlust and bizarre characters. Upon meeting the Lady Derica de Rosa, however, Garren thinks perhaps that the marriage may not be all that unpalatable. Derica is beautiful and humorous, and Garren is smitten. Upon the eve of the betrothal, however, Garren's identity as a spy is discovered and he is set upon by the de Rosa's. With Derica's help, he escapes execution and together the two of them begin an enormous trek across England and Wales to flee her pursuing family. When William Marshall discovers that Garren has deviated from his orders, he too goes in pursuit of him, undermining Garren's trust with a friend he has known since childhood. Duty soon separates them and Garren stages his own death in battle in order to free himself of William Marshall's directives. But news of his death gets back to Derica, who finds herself a pawn between her family and William Marshall as she grieves for the man she loved and now has lost. It is a race against time for Garren to return to his wife before she is forced to marry another, all in the name of politics.

    Sabin FitzSimon, bastard son of an earl, has acquired a reputation for wildness and trouble only matched by his abilities as a warrior. But when he is caught seducing the King's favorite mistress, not even his fighting skills can save him. Beaten by the King's soldiers and left behind in the Norman port, it seems that his notoriety has finally gotten the better of him.Upon his eventual return to England, Sabin is given the opportunity to rebuild his career and salvage his reputation: The knight Edmund Strongfist is leaving for the Holy Land to offer his sword and services to the King of Jerusalem, and he wants Sabin to join him.Accompanying Strongfist is his young, beautiful, convent-educated daughter Annais. Sabin, he warns, is to keep away from her. Being grateful for the chance that Strongfist has given him, Sabin does so, but not without a feeling of regret as he observes her spirit and courage, and enjoys her beautiful harp playing.The Holy Land brings its own shares of trials for Sabin. If he succeeds in keeping his distance from Annais, he has less success with Strongfist's new wife, and the consequences prove to be painful. The land is suffering from constant warfare and following the capture of the King, Sabin is forced to take command of the fortress of Montabard and marry its recently widowed chatelaine. Now there is all to play for...and all to lose.

    King Edward II was murdered by the lover of his estranged Queen Isabella, Sir Roger Mortimer. This biography of 14th century England's evil genius offers a new and controversial theory regarding the fate of Edward II.

    3 vols., slipcased.

    Be it ever so grand or ever so humble, a castle is first and foremost a home. It may look tough and defensible on the outside, but on the inside, a castle is all about luxury and creature comforts. To understand castles—who built them, who lived in them, and why—is to understand the forces that shaped medieval Britain.

    Yet as he has come to be studied more closely in recent decades, a number of different Eckharts have emerged. This volume reviews and synthesizes the diverging views of Eckhart that have been presented in recent past. For the first time, Bernard McGinn, the greatest living scholar of Western Christian mysticism, brings together in one volume the fruition of decades of reflection on these questions, offering a view of Eckhart that unites his reflections as preacher, philosopher, and theologian.

    In Shakespeare's rendering she becomes an adulterous queen who mocks her captive enemy, Richard, duke of York, before killing him in cold blood. Shakespeare's portrayal has proved to be remarkably resilient, because Margaret's queenship lends itself to such an assessment. In 1445, at the age of fifteen, she was married to the ineffectual Henry VI, a move expected to ensure peace with France and an heir to the throne. Eight years later, while she was in the later stages of her only pregnancy, Henry suffered a complete mental collapse that left him catatonic for roughly a year and a half: Margaret came to the political forefront. In the aftermath of the king's illness, she became an indefatigable leader of the Lancastrian loyalists in their struggle against their Yorkist opponents. Margaret's exercise of power was always fraught with difficulty: as a woman, her effective power was dependent upon her invocation of the authority of her husband or her son. Her enemies lost no opportunity to charge her with misconduct of all kinds. More than five hundred years after Margaret's death this examination of her life and career allows a more balanced and detached view.

    It also discusses the revivals of interest in British culture and myth over the centuries, from Renaissance antiquarians to modern day Druids. A fascinating and unique history of the Britons from the late Iron Age to the late Middle Ages. Describes the life, language and culture of the Britons before, during and after Roman rule. Examines the figures of King Arthur and Merlin and the evolution of a powerful national mythology. Proposes a new theory on the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain and the establishment of separate Brittonic kingdoms. Discusses revivals of interest in British culture and myth, from Renaissance antiquarians to modern day Druids.

    Birk, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as one of "realism's edgier, more visionary painters," offers extraordinarily nuanced and vivid illustrations inspired by Gustave Dore's famous engravings. This modern interpretation depicts an infernal landscape infested with mini-malls, fast food restaurants, ATMs, and other urban fixtures, and a text that cleverly incorporates urban slang and references to modern events and people (as Dante did in his own time). Previously published in a deluxe, fine-press edition to wide praise, and accompanied by national exhibitions, this striking paperback edition of Dante's Inferno is a genuinely provocative and insightful adaptation for a new generation of readers.

    Southover's reprint carries a facsimile of the original text from Cambridge University Library, with a modern interpretation facing each page. The book explains in detail the intricate rituals of setting and waiting at table, how to prepare the dishes to be served and exactly what was eaten at different times of the year, and was written as an instruction manual for well-born boys as part of their early education. It also tells the reader how to carve meat, fowls and fish and to sauce each dish with its appropriate accompaniments, some of them very sophisticated. A description is included of the chamberlain's duties in his lord's chamber, dressing him and preparing him for church, and for bed. There is an interesting section on the order of precedence on feast days and great occasions. Peter Brears writes an Introduction and provides a glossary and drawings to explain the complicated rituals, including the arrangement of cloths before and at the end of meals. His research into traditional domestic life, combined with extensive experience of cooking authentic meals in historic properties, has given him a unique knowledge of English food history. He was for twenty years director of York Castle as well as of Leeds City Museums. His books include The Gentlewoman's Kitchen (1984); Traditional Food in Yorkshire (1987); All the King's Cooks (1999), and The Compleat Housekeeper (2000).

    The Broadstone treats of the origin, spirit and institutions of Christian Chivalry and the true practice of the same. It was his deep study of these lofty ideals and the "Ages of Faith," which he had been raised to despise, that led him to his conversion. Maxims of Christian Chivalry was edited bt Nicholas Dillon, O.F.M. in 1924, taking essential bits from The Broadstone and categorizing them into a book which could well serve as a manual for the Catholic Knight. Some headings include: Definition of Honour * Definition of Chivalry * Motto of Chivalry * Rules of Chivalry * Extracts from the Book of Chivalrous Instruction * Religious Orders of Knighthood * Preparation for Knighthood * List of Famous Knights * Facing Death * The Voice of Nature * Fruits of Solitude * Reverence for True Womanhood * The Divine Office * Church Music * All Things in Christ...but a small sampling. Foreword by Robert Kane, S.J.

    Visiions of men madly slashing to and fro and hoping for the best still dominate not only popular culture but modern histories of fencing as well.In recent years, the survival of more than 175 fighting treatises from the Middle Ages and Renaissance has provided a whole generation of enthusiasts, scholars, reenactors and stage choreographers with a wealth of new information. This text represents the earliest known text on swordsmanship anywhere in the world. Royal Armouries MS I.33 presents a system of combat that is sophisticated and demonstrates the diffusion of fighting arts beyond the military classes. Within the manuscripts richly illustrated full-color illustrations lie still-potent demonstrates of sword techniques, surprisingly shown by a Priest and Scholar. Most surprisingly, however, is the presence of a woman practcing in the text, the only one illustrated in any European fighting treatise. This full color facsimile & translation has been long-awaited and promises to become an important resource for years to come.

    Based on the writings of an anonymous Italian Jew in 1279, the author presents two stories. The first relates Merlin's role in the seductions of Igerna by Pendragon and the consequent birth of Arthur. The second tells of Arthur's rise to royal glory, of Lancelot's affair with Guinevere, his meeting with the Maid of Askalot, and his skill at a jousting tournament.This romance exists in a unique copy at the Vatican Library, which Curt Leviant personally examined. He offers a highly readable version of that text in corrected Hebrew with graceful English transliteration on facing pages, and an analysis of Jewish aspects of the piece. He also traces its origins to an Old French tale.Not just a literary curiosity, this is at once fine scholarship and compelling proof of the vibrant interaction between Judaism and other cultures of medieval Europe.

    This makes Derolez's survey unique and an ideal tool for all interested in late-medieval book and handwriting culture. The text is illustrated with 600 drawings of letter-forms and 160 photographs of parts of manuscripts reproduced to actual-size.

    Also includes the rich and complex mythologies of India and the Far East. Sumptuous illustrations and photographs show the Ancient World in all its splendor.

    Intricate in scale and radiant with gold and colors, these manuscripts represent the popular ideal of the medieval illuminated book.The well-loved story is recounted in the words of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. This masterly translation of the New Testament complements the magnificent illustrations, making this the perfect Christmas gift to be treasured by young and old.With the combination of the beautiful RSV translation and the glorious color miniatures, readers will be deeply inspired by both word and art. The RSV has been acclaimed for many decades as the most accurate, readable and beautiful translation of the Bible in English.

    An immediate source for the Heimskringla of Snorri Sturluson, it is a central text in the Old Norse genre of Kings sagas. It includes extensive citation of skaldic verses, some of them preserved nowhere else. This translation preserves many of the metrical features of this complex verse form, which are explained in the commentary along with aspects of historical and cultural interest arising from the text. The introduction places the text within the Kings saga tradition and examines the particular concerns of its anonymous author. The volume will be of use to historians and those interested in Old Norse literary history."

    With an introduction by the renowned Dominican Thomist Jean-Pierre Torrell, Trinity in Aquinas combines historical erudition and mature speculative insight. In scholarly prose of rare clarity and precision, Emery explores the key themes of Trinitarian theology: divine unity, the Trinitarian character of the divine act of creation, the integration of biblical exegesis and speculative theology, and the development of Trinitarian doctrine, and the controversy over the filioque. As Emery teaches, "The theological activity of knowledge of God and love of God, in the saints, 'imitates' or 'represents' the activity of God the Father who pronounces the Word and breathes the Spirit." Emery instructs all believers who seek, by means of intellectual contemplation inspired by love, to share more deeply in the "theological activity" of the saints. About the Author: Gilles Emery is a Dominican priest of the Swiss province of Preachers and professor of dogmatic theology at University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He has authored La Trinite creatice (Vrin) and Thomas d'Aquin, Traites: Les rasions de la foi, les articles de la foi (Cerf). He co-edited with Pierre Gisel, Le Christianisme est-il un monotheisme? (Labor et Fides). He is member of the editorial board of the Revue thomiste.

    Whilst virginity can often become linked with chastity, it can be both a permanent and temporary state within the lifecycle, and remains no less ambiguous and elusive to definition. This collection of twelve essays takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the subject of the manifestation of virginity in the late medieval period. Subjects explored include virginity referred to in law, Welsh prose, clerical perceptions, the virginal portrayal of Edward the Confessor, erotic mysticism, alchemy, the virgin martyr and Joan of Arc.

    In this collection Karl Leyser shows how Ottonian and Salian Germany both influenced and was influenced by the societies with which it came into contact. While the author's central interest is in Germany, his work is of value for the study of medieval European society as a whole.

    In 1870 the First Vatican Council vindicated the old Roman vision of an essentially unlimited monarchical authority residing in the pope. That vision had competed for the allegiance of Catholics worldwide with an evenolder, conciliar, essentially constitutionalist ideal of church governance. Francis Oakley here reconstructs the half-millennial history of that rival and now largely forgotten tradition.

    Entries, both short and long, from Aaron to Zodiac, provide information on Chaucer's life and times, his works and the characteristics in them, his language and meter, his reading and the creative uses he made of it, and on his major moral and literary themes. Extensive reference is also made to the development of critical opinion about his works over the centuries. Complete with a chronology, a note to readers, illustrations, and extensive cross-referencing, this is a fascinating, practical guide to readers of Chaucer at every level.

    Olivia Remie Constable traces the evolution of this family of institutions from the pandocheion in Late Antiquity to the arrival of European merchants in Islamic markets and the appearance of the fondaco. Constable's study demonstrates the role of common economic interests in their development.

    

    This splendid volume, featuring some of the finest illuminated masterpieces from the exceptional collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, details the remarkable collaboration and craftsmanship that went into the creation of these delicate treasures. Close-up details show the intricacies of the various techniques used to create these fragile and rarely seen works. By helping the reader to appreciate the individual elements of illumination--the initials, borders, illustrations, script, and binding--Rowan Watson brings the world of the scribes, illuminators, and book dealers to life, and sheds light on the cooperative religious communities in which many of them worked. Watson also looks at the survival of illumination after the printing press and its revival in the 19th century in the hands of such pioneering designers as Owen Jones and William Morris.

    Particularly, young unmarried women or "maidens" have been paid little attention. This book aims to fill that gap by examining the meaning, experiences and voices of young womanhood. The life-phase of “adolescence” was different for maidens than for young men, and as such merits study in its own right. At the same time a study of young womanhood provides insights into ideals of feminine gender roles and identities at different social levels.

    Besides offering the Greek text and an English translation, Driscoll examines its structure and style, and offers commentary on different proverbs.This noteworthy book:--is the only major commentary in any modern language on Ad Monachos.--demonstrates how the proverbs in their order form a rich spiritual architecture.--is presently the single most comprehensive book in English on Evagrius.

    To prove their faith, they built massive Cathedrals as great monuments to God. This work helps children learn about: medieval ideas of heaven and hell; Judaism and synagogues; Heretics and the inquisition; how Cathedrals were built; and more.

    However, only a sustained, book-length analysis like Armstrong’s can fully articulate the relationships of gender to other chivalric ideals, such as mercy and martial prowess, that become increasingly complex as the narrative progresses. This study examines not only the most frequently read portions of the Morte but also those sections that often are regarded as extraneous to the primary narrative, such as the Tristram, Gareth, and Roman War episodes.  By showing how gender operates in both the well-known and the less-appreciated portions of Malory’s work, Gender and the Chivalric Community demonstrates that his text possesses far more narrative unity than previously thought.Armstrong provides a sophisticated yet accessible approach to the study of gender and its relation to other chivalric ideals in Le Morte d’Arthur, offering important insights for scholars and students of medieval romance, Malory, Arthurian literature, and gender and feminist criticism.Dorsey Armstrong is assistant professor of medieval literature at Purdue University. Her work has most recently appeared in Arizona Studies in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and On Arthurian Women: Essays in Honor of Maureen Fries.

    He uncovers many striking similarities between the world of the Desert Fathers and the now lost world of Irish Orthodox Christianity, which was so deeply permeated by the monastic ideal.

    Far from simply denigrating embodiment or excluding it from consideration, these works recognize its centrality to the office of preacher and the ways in which preachers, like Christ, needed humanness to make their performance of doctrine effective for their audiences. At the same time, the texts warned of the preacher's susceptibility to the fleshly failings of lust, vainglory, deception, and greed. Preaching's problematic juxtaposition of the earthly and the spiritual made images of women preachers, real and fictional, key to understanding and exploiting the power, as well as the dangers, of the feminized flesh.Addressing the underexamined bodies of the clergy in light of both medieval and modern discussions of female authority and the body of Christ in medieval culture, Angels and Earthly Creatures reinserts women into the history of preaching and brings together discourses that would have been intertwined in the Middle Ages but are often treated separately by scholars. The examination of handbooks for preachers as literary texts also demonstrates their extensive interaction with secular literary traditions, explored here with particular reference to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.Through a close and insightful reading of a wide variety of texts and figures, including Hildegard of Bingen, Birgitta of Sweden, and Catherine of Siena, Waters offers an original examination of the preacher's unique role as an intermediary--standing between heaven and earth, between God and people, participating in and responsible to both sides of that divide.

    This practical manual offers a method of determining the birth sign based on calculations performed on the subject s name and his or her mother s name. The critical edition includes a literary, historical, and linguistic study; an English translation; and a Catalan-English glossary. The Tractat reveals Catalan sources for prognostication, a unique expression of medieval syncretism, the mingling of traditions, and the development of new ideas. It is a rare find for Hispanists and others interested in astrology, magic, the history of science, and early print culture."

    This two volume, illustrated, A-Z reference is a cross-disciplinary resource for information on literature, history, the arts, science, philosophy, and religion in Italy between A.D. 450 and 1375.For more information including the introduction, a full list of entries and contributors, a generous selection of sample pages, and more, visit the Medieval Italy: An Encyclopedia website.

    Ranging widely across the history of text, technology, and book art, she relates three interwoven stories: the Christians' translation of circumcision into a graphic problem of writing on the heart; the temporal construction of Christian notions of history based on the binary supersession of an Old Testament past by the present of a new dispensation; and the traumatic repetition of the graphic cutting off of Christians from Jews in academic history and anthropology.Moving beyond well-studied theological polemics, Biddick works from the relatively unfamiliar vantage point of the graphic technologies used in medieval and early modern texts and print sources, from maps to trial transcripts to universal histories. Addressing current concerns about the posthuman condition by linking them to a deeper genealogy of disembodiment at the technological heart of imaginary fantasies, she argues that such supersessionary practices extend to contemporary psychoanalytic and postcolonial texts, even as they propose alternative ways of thinking about memory and temporality. Crucial to Biddick's study is the ethical challenge of unbinding the typological imaginary, not in order to disavow theological difference but rather to open up the encounter between Christian and Jew to less deadening teleological readings.Making a significant contribution to the large debate over the transition from scriptural to scientific culture in Europe, The Typological Imaginary also succeeds in shedding light on the centrality of Jews to medieval and Enlightenment history.

    Reading a variety of literary texts in relation to historical, medical, and religious discourses about blood, and in the context of anthropological and religious studies, McCracken offers a provocative examination of the ways gendered cultural values were mapped onto blood in the Middle Ages.As McCracken demonstrates, blood is gendered when that of men is prized in stories about battle and that of women is excluded from the public arena in which social and political hierarchies are contested and defined through chivalric contest. In her examination of the conceptualization of familial relationships, she uncovers the privileges that are grounded in gendered definitions of blood relationships. She shows that in narratives about sacrifice a father's relationship to his son is described as a shared blood, whereas texts about women accused of giving birth to monstrous children define the mother's contribution to conception in terms of corrupted, often menstrual blood. Turning to fictional representations of bloody martyrdom and of eucharistic ritual, McCracken juxtaposes the blood of the wounded guardian of the grail with that of Christ and suggests that the blood from the grail king's wound is characterized in opposition to that of women and Jewish men.Drawing on a range of French and other literary texts, McCracken shows how the dominant ideas about blood in medieval culture point to ways of seeing modern values associated with blood in a new light, and how modern representations in turn suggest new perspectives on medieval perceptions.

    While considered elite (in reputation and rewards) and successful, we know little of their clinical effectiveness. To modern eyes their theory and practice often seems bizarre. But historical evidence reveals that they were judged on other criteria, and this book asserts that these physicians helped to construct and meet the expectations of society.

    It shows the activity around the castle. It helps them learn about: the master mason and the other craftspeople who built the castle; how castles were defended against attacks; and more.

    They explain that, being from a little-known culture and in a little-studied language, the cycle has tended to remain in the shadow of the Bosnian

    Forged and hafted with great skill, sometimes with elaborately decorated scabbards, knives are of intrinsic fascination, besides being indicators of the popular artistic tastes of the time. This book catalogues, discusses and illustrates over five hundred knives, scabbards, shears and scissors dating from the mid-12th to the mid-15th centuries and found in the City of London, particularly along the waterfront sites, where recovered items can be accurately dated by dendrochronology and coin finds. It is a fundamental work of reference for medieval artefacts and material culture, an essential handbook for excavators all over Britain and much of Europe. JANE COWGILL, MARGRETHE DE NEERGAARDE and NICK GRIFFITHS are former members of the staff of the Museum of London.

    These include the nature of authorship in the period, the position of women at home or in nunneries, and their relationship to religion. Additional essays cover the lives and work of such prominent women writers as Heloise, Marie de France, Christine de Pizan, Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe and Joan of Arc. A chronology and guides to further reading add information which students and scholars will find invaluable.

    If caught, her activities could lead to a charge of treason…and her death. But what should she do when her exiled king orders her to wed the one man who she fears to give her heart? She must act the loving wife at all times. But when he takes her in his arms, is it really all an act?A Gift of Myrrh By Jodi Lynn CopelandTavish MacBain, newly appointed Laird of Castle Wynderon, believed his biggest obstacle upon returning to Scotland would be convincing the villagers to respect a man who is half English. He realizes now just how wrong he was. The biggest obstacle he faces is keeping his distance from his brother's widow. A woman who claims she wishes him dead while ensnaring him with a burning desire each time he finds himself wrapped in her fiery embrace.Lords Of Pleasure - Gift of Gold By Ann JacobsBook 2 in the Lords Of Pleasure seriesIt's Christmas at Summerfield Castle, and the deVere twins, Gavin and William, have always shared everything. Their women are no exception. Now the younger twin, Gavin, is pledged to marry Lady Evelyn FitzSimmons to provide him with estates. He fears the wealthy widow may dampen his lusty pleasures . . . but she has other plans.

    The author begins by looking at Chaucer's and Gower's treatment of the legend of Constance, as told by the Man of Law, demonstrating that Chaucer's addition of a pattern of mercantile details highlights the commercial context of the eastern Mediterranean in which the heroine is placed; she goes on to show how Chaucer's portraits of Cleopatra and Dido from the Legend of Good Women, read against parallel texts, especially in Boccaccio, reveal them to be loci of medieval orientalism. She then examines Chaucer's inventive handling of details taken from Eastern sources and analogues in the Squire's Tale, showing how he shapes them into the western form ofinterlace. The author concludes by looking at two romances, Floris and Blauncheflur and Le Bone Florence of Rome; she argues that elements in Floris of sibling incest are legitimised into a quest for the beloved, and demonstrates that Le Bone Florence be related to analogous oriental tales about heroic women who remain steadfast in virtue against persecution and adversity. Professor CAROL F. HEFFERNAN teaches in the Department ofEnglish, Rutgers University.

    His scientific contribution may be understood as the very embodiment of 'the rise of medieval Hebrew science', a process in which Jewish scholars gradually adopted the holy tongue as a vehicle to express secular and scientific ideas. The first part provides a comprehensive picture of Ibn Ezra's scientific corpus. The second part studies his linguistic strategy. The third and fourth parts study Ibn Ezra's introductions to his scientific treatises and the fifth part is devoted to studying four 'encounters' with Claudius Ptolemy, the main scientific character featuring in Ibn Ezra's literary work.

    The burial place of some fifteen kings and queens, it houses both the largest surviving programme of gothic figure sculpture and the earliest and finest Renaissance tomb sculptures in England. This new book covers all the most important aspects of the Chapel's history, from the establishment of the cult of the Virgin in the twelfth century to the restoration of the 1990s, which provided an unrepeatable opportunity for close examination of the structure and contents of the building which is the subject of this volume.Contributors: ROGER BOWERS, DONALD BUTTRESS, THOMAS COCKE, MARGARET CONDON, BARBARA HARVEY, JACQUES HEYMAN, PHILLIP LINDLEY, RICHARD MORTIMER, JULIAN MUNBY, JOHN PHYSICK, ANDREW REYNOLDS, TIM TATTON-BROWN, CHARLES TRACY, CHRISTOPHER WILSON. Historians of British Art Book Prize for 2003 RICHARD MORTIMER is Keeper of the Muniments, Westminster Abbey; TIM TATTON-BROWN is Consultant Archaeologist to Westminster Abbey.

    Treating kingship as a joint enterprise of king and court, it draws on an interdisciplinary range of sources from chronicles, sermons, and works of art to diplomatic and archival records, to reassess the major issues of his reign.

    This work shows how Celtic cultures understood the place of human beings in their natural environment in ways fundamentally different from our own, exploring the unique unfolding of landscapes in early Irish and Welsh texts.

    The Norman Conquest of 1061 finally ousted the Muslims from the Island. Organised into three administrative valla – Val di Mazara, Val di Noto, Val Demone – Islamic Sicily produced singularly imaginative crafts and many religious and civic buildings, resurrecting some Byzantine canons, at times still heavily tainted with a late Antique resonance. The Norman monarchy knew how to incorporate, in an innovative and quite manifest way, the contributions of Islamic art.A myriad of monuments attributed to Roger II and William II were enhanced with these elaborate symbioses. The beauty of these sometimes leave us short of adequate words to describe the magnificent palaces and pleasure houses, the luxuriant gardens, and the refined marbles and glowing mosaics produced at this time when Norman kings lived in these surroundings as emirates. Along with the Conca d'Oro, Palermo became the epicentre of the dissemination of Islamic culture on the Island and offers an eloquent introduction to all the Islamic styles of this period in its ecclesiastical and palatial buildings. The admiration felt by the Norman rulers for the masters of the past is manifest in some splendid monuments such as the Tower (Burj) of Alfaina, the Palaces of Maredolce and of Uscibene, and, in particular, in the two Pavilions of Zisa and Cuba. In the provinceof Agrigento, several remnants of the Arab era have been preserved in the urban fabric, the burjs and the ribats. On the northern coast and in the mountainous regions of the Nebrodi (Vicari, Altavilla Milicia, Caccamo, Campofelice di Roccella, Cefalù), ruins of fortresses and castles are further evidence of this unique relationship. The Arab-Norman synthesis displayed a powerful originality born out of three centuries (XII-XIV) of the successful integration of motifs, typologies, techniques and infrastructures.

    This work includes medieval drawings, museum pictures, and illustrations that help children understand: the crusades; how castles were attacked and defended; warriors and their weapons; how battles were fought on the battlefield; and more.

    This study offers an appraisal of John Wyclif's eucharistic theology within the context of some larger medieval developments, none of which can be isolated from one another.

    Written by leading scholars, these fifteen studies focus on evidence from the mid 4th to early 20th century, evidence which includes saints' Lives, poetry and prose narratives referring to saints, holy wells and shrines, songs, relics, church dedications, archaeology and iconograpphy. Among the saints discussed are St Patrick, St David, St Birgit and St Brendan.

    An introduction sets Francia in context and outlines its main features. More recent work on gender history is represented here by studies of the political, intellectual and religious activities of women in the Frankish world. Although circumscribed, the activities of women acting on their own will can be clearly detected. While the male authorship of nearly all early medieval texts has usually been taken for granted, Janet Nelson makes a case for the possibility that a number were written by women.