Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish

Brigid Callan Maeve

Description

Early medieval Ireland is remembered as the "Land of Saints and Scholars," due to the distinctive devotion to Christian faith and learning that permeated its culture. As early as the seventh century, however, questions were raised about Irish orthodoxy, primarily concerning Easter observances. Yet heresy trials did not occur in Ireland until significantly later, long after allegations of Irish apostasy from Christianity had sanctioned the English invasion of Ireland.In The Templars, the Witch, and the Wild Irish, Maeve Brigid Callan analyzes Ireland's medieval heresy trials, which all occurred in the volatile fourteenth century. These include the celebrated case of Alice Kyteler and her associates, prosecuted by Richard de Ledrede, bishop of Ossory, in 1324. This trial marks the dawn of the "devil-worshipping witch" in European prosecutions, with Ireland an unexpected birthplace.Callan divides Ireland's heresy trials into three categories. In the first stand those of the Templars and Philip de Braybrook, whose trial derived from the Templars', brought by their inquisitor against an old rival. Ledrede's prosecutions, against Kyteler and other prominent Anglo-Irish colonists, constitute the second category. The trials of native Irishmen who fell victim to the sort of propaganda that justified the twelfth-century invasion and subsequent colonization of Ireland make up the third. Callan contends that Ireland's trials resulted more from feuds than doctrinal deviance and reveal the range of relations between the English, the Irish, and the Anglo-Irish, and the church's role in these relations; tensions within ecclesiastical hierarchy and between secular and spiritual authority; Ireland's position within its broader European context; and political, cultural, ethnic, and gender concerns in the colony.

Sujets

• Histoire
• Christian Church
• Ireland
• Blasphemy
• Religious intolerance
• History of Europe
• Christianity
• Stephen Ireland
• 1500

Informations

• Publié par: Cornell University Press
• Date de parution: 13 août 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780801471995
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

 THE TEMPLARS, THE WITCH, AND THE WILD IRISH

THE TEMPLARS, THE WITCH, AND THE WILD IRISH n RESYAND HE VE NGE ANCE I N ME DI E VAL I RE L AND

M a e v e B r i g i d C a l l a n

CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS Ithaca

Cover photograph: An alder tree grows from the ruins of the Templars’ Loghnehely manor (Templehouse) in County Sligo. Photograph by Maeve Brigid Callan.

Copyright © 2015 by Cornell University All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.

Firstpublished2015byCornellUniversityPress

PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Callan,MaeveBrigid,1970–author. The Templars, the witch, and the wild Irish : vengeance and heresy in medieval Ireland / Maeve Brigid Callan.  pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 9780801453137 (cloth : alk. paper) 2. Trials1. Ireland—Church history—600–1500. (Heresy)—Ireland—History—To 1500. 3. Trials (Witchcraft)—Ireland—History—To 1500. I. Title. BR794.C35 2015  282ʹ.41509023—dc23 2014022145

CornellUniversityPressstrivestouseenvironmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetablebased, lowVOC inks and acidfree papers that are recycled, totally chlorinefree, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu. Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Finnian, and For Seth, Hunter

As you well know, heretics have never been found in Ireland; rather, it is customarily called the isle of saints. Now, however, some foreigner comes from England and says we are all heretics and excommunicants, claiming for himself some papal constitutions that we have never heard of before now. And since defamation of this land touches every one of us, you all ought to unite against this man. —ArnoldlePoerattheDublinParliament,May1324

  Co nt e nt s

Acknowledgmentsxi Abbreviationsxiii ChronologyofKeyEventsxvii Mapxxii

Introduction 1. Heresy Hunting Begins in Ireland: The Trial of the Templars and the Case against Philip de Braybrook 2. The Dawn of the Devil Worshipping Witch 3. The Churlish Tramp from England: Richard de Ledrede Tries the Alice Kyteler Case 4. Moments of Lucidity Dedicated to Malice: Ledrede’s Continuing Conflicts in the Colony 5. The Heresy of Being Irish: Adducc Dubh O’Toole and Two MacConmaras Conclusion

AppendixA:TheArticlesagainst the Templars in Ireland243 AppendixB:TheChargesagainst Alice Kyteler and Associates247 Bibliography249 Index273

1

31

78

117

149

188 235