Medieval Gems

Claire Fitzgerald

Description

This book offers a window into medieval life through a compilation of extracts from a vast array of original sources, ranging from chronicles to law code and from rules of etiquette to letter collections. The extracts have been selected for their intrinsic interest and, in many cases, for their sheer humour; a number of them will resonate with modern readers and will hopefully help to dispel the myth that the medieval period lacked both interest and relevance. Many of the sources that have been cited refer to 'ordinary people' rather than kings and emperors and we are introduced to cooks and butchers plying their wares and sometimes peddling substandard food in an attempt to scratch a living, to enclosed nuns who entertained men in their rooms, to impecunious university students writing home to their fathers for money, and to an inebriated youth being burnt alive in his bed.

Sujets

• Histoire
• History

Informations

• Publié par: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Date de parution: 30 avril 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528969574
• Langue: English

Extrait

Claire Fitzgerald
William B. Foreignerski
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-04-30
Claire Fitzgerald About the Author Dedication About the Book Copyright Information Acknowledgement Introduction Narrative Sources A Laconic Report of the Conquest of England—1066 A Miracle—797 Long-Haired Men—c. 1095 Conciliar Decrees—1102 A King’s Nasty End—1015 The Generosity of a King—c. 1042 A Surfeit of Lampreys—1135 A Macabre Embalming—1135 A Sorry Tale—Early 12 th Century Norman Wives’ Demands After the Conquest of England—Late 11 th Century A New Fashion—c. 1087-1100 A Cunning Emperor—1109 A Tale of Vengeance—Early 10 th Century A Ravenous Monster—Late 8 th Century Charlemagne’s Epitaph—Early 9 th Century Observations on the Scottish Invasion of England—1337 Preliminaries to the 100 Years’ War Between England and France—Mid-14 th Century An Altercation Between an English and a French Knight During the 100 Years’ War—Mid-14 th Century A Quarrel Between Pope Gregory VII and the Emperor Henry IV—Late 11 th Century The Faked Death of Bohemond, Governor of Antioch—Late 11 th Century A Graphic Description of the Crafty Bohemond—Late 11 th Century The Sorry State of England During the Reign of King Stephen—1143 Reflections on the Differences Between the English and the Normans—Early 12 th Century A Royal Menagerie—Early 12 th Century Ireland and the Irish—Late 12 th Century Archiepiscopal Behaviour—Early 12 th Century The Green Children—Mid 12 th Century English Slave Boys Catch the Eye of the Future Pope Gregory the Great—c. 586 The Ravages of the Black Death -1348/9 A Cautionary Tale—13 th Century A Laughing Parisian Provost—1413 Marauding French Wolves—1421 Parisian Entertainment—1425 A Tennis Champion—1427 Siamese Twins—1429 A Terrible Gale—1434 A Peculiar Tax—1437 A Promiscuous Provost—1446 Barking Men—1340 A Women’s Tournament—1348 A Student Fracas—1389 Midges at Court—1389 Trade Restrictions Cause Famine—c. 1390-91 A Female Priest—1392 Law Codes Early English Compensation Payments—Late 6 th Century Laws of King Wihtred—Late 7 th Century Laws of King Alfred—Late 9 th Century Laws of King Henry I—1100-1135 False Money—Early 12 th Century Penalties for Killing and Maiming at the Battle of Hastings—1070 Laws of the Sea—14 th Century Etiquette and Manners Table Manners—Early 13 th Century The Art of Courtly Love—Late 12 th Century Dress Code—1483 Dress Regulation for Common Women—1281 A French Husband’s Instructions to His Wife—c. 1393 Women’s Work Is Never Done—Early 16 th Century Italian Views of the English—c. 1497 Manners of King Henry I—12 th Century Welsh Manners and Hospitality—12 th Century Coroners’ Records The Perils of Climbing Trees—1276 Beware of Getting Drunk—1276 Drowned in a Well—1270 Look Out for Strange Men—1270 Death of a Child—1270 A Wrestling Match—1301 A Salutary Lesson—1267 Letter Collections A Reprimand from the Archbishop of Canterbury—c. 1072-1085 A Troubled Monk—Early 13 th Century Papal Reassurance—Early 13 th Century The Pope Stands on His Rights—1214 Collective Action—Early 13 th Century A Plea for Help—Early 13 th Century Training a Goshawk—Early 13 th Century A Sneak—Early 13 th Century An Impoverished Student—Early 13 th Century A Lazy Student—Early 13 th Century Overcharging by Cambridge University—1231 A Royal Wardrobe—1483 An Archbishop Refuses a Bribe—1106 A Bishop Is Rebuked—c. 1100 An Invitation to Dine—1301 Urban Regulations Pigs and Prostitutes—1301 Butchers—1301 Policing the City Streets—1301 Physicians and Doctors—1301 Gild of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hull—Late 14 th Century Gild of St Mary, Beverley—1355 A Paris Cooks’ Charter—1258 Ipswich Regulations—Late 13 th Century An Unacceptable Practice—15 th Century Regulation of Prices—1378 Regarding Pasties—1379 Restrictions on Night Time Activities—1378 Limits to Gifts on Baptism and Marriage—1382 Roaming Dogs—1367 Working Conditions in Yorkshire—1467 Constitutions of the Barbers’ Gild—1414 Wandering Pigs—14 th Century Proclamations of Bristol—14 th Century Victuallers in Winchester—1476 Literary Sources Teacher/Pupil Dialogue—10 th Century Fat Cats—Late 14 th Century Words of Wisdom—Late 14 th Century A Wafer Seller’s Woes—Late 14 th Century Reflections on a Cook—Late 14 th Century Records of Misdemeanours Invasions of Privacy—14 th Century A Frightful Stench—14 th Century A Dishonest Baker—1327 An Impersonation—1412 A Dodgy Pasty—1351 A Charlatan and an Impostor—Late 14 th Century Stinking and Abominable Veal—1355 A Disgruntled Apprentice—1366 A Filthy Tale—1368 A Belligerent Skinner—1375 Passing the Buck—1376 A Lost Leg—1377 A Scrounger—1381 Attacks on ‘Foreigners’—1382 An Abduction—1381 Anti-Social Behaviour—1421 An Unfortunate Apprentice—1413 Sex Workers—1439 Putrid Wine—1439 A Wolfish Offence—c. 1300 Wrongdoings in Norwich—1287 Religious Sources Episcopal Injunctions—Early 15 th Century Reports from Episcopal Visitations—Mid-15 th Century The Benedictine Rule—Early 6 th Century A Code of Monastic Signs Relating to Food and Drink—13 th Century A Guide for Anchoresses—Early 13 th Century Dietary Related Rules for Anchoresses—Early 13 th Century A Naughty Nun—1414 Heretical Views from Soissons—1114 Henry of Le Mans, a Charismatic Heretic—c. 1115 The Arrival of Heretics in England—c. 1160 Domesday Book Medical Sources Gynaecological Advice – Early 15 th Century More Medical Advice—Late 14 th Century Treatments for Consumption—Late 14 th Century Comments on Physicians—Late 14 th Century The Value of Exercise—Late 14 th Century Nutritional Advice—Late 14 th Century An Extract from the Foundation Document of the Hospital of St John, Bridgewater—1457 Shameless Conduct—1449 Wills Will of Wynflaed—10th/11th Century Will of Emma Preston—1401 Will of Joan Ingrame—1519 Will of John de Boyndon, Apothecary—1361 Will of John de Evenefeld, Pepperer—1369 Will of William de Tonge—1390 Miscellaneous Sources A Souvenir from Germany—1126 A Description of London—c. 1170 Fast Food—Late 12 th Century The Birth of a Royal Prince—1312 The Interrogation of a Male Transvestite Prostitute—1395 The Third Poll Tax—1380 A Lost Ear—1303 Witches—1481 Allowances for Some Members of the King’s Household—mid-12 th Century Excuses for Not Serving on a Jury—Early 15 th Century
About the Author
Claire Fitzgerald read history at London University and then spent over thirty years as a tax planner in the accountancy profession and later in private banking. She took early retirement in 2011; since then, she has completed an MA in Medieval History and a Masters in Historical Research, both at Kings College, London.
Dedication
In memory of my parents and for Benjamin, the great-grandson they never knew.
About the Book
This book offers a window into medieval life through a compilation of extracts from a vast array of original sources, ranging from chronicles to law code and from rules of etiquette to letter collections. The extracts have been selected for their intrinsic interest and, in many cases, for their sheer humour; a number of them will resonate with modern readers and will hopefully help to dispel the myth that the medieval period lacked both interest and relevance.
Many of the sources that have been cited refer to ‘ordinary people’ rather than kings and emperors and we are introduced to cooks and butchers plying their wares and sometimes peddling substandard food in an attempt to scratch a living, to enclosed nuns who entertained men in their rooms, to impecunious university students writing home to their fathers for money, and to an inebriated youth being burnt alive in his bed.
Copyright Information
Copyright © Claire Fitzgerald (2019)
The right of Claire Fitzgerald to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528938501 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528938518 (E-Book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgement
To the staff of the Medieval History Department at Kings College, London, for making my years there so stimulating and rewarding. To my brother, David, for reading the manuscript in draft and making many useful suggestions for improvement; and to my husband, Tom, for much-needed IT support. To Kevin Smith and the editorial team at Austin Macauley, for all their input.
Introduction
When I told friends and acquaintances that I had taken early retirement to do an MA in medieval history, a not untypical reaction was for the person to smile politely and say something like, ‘Oh, how interesting!’ End of conversation! Medieval history, to the uninitiated, is something rather arcane, involving Latin and strange indecipherable scripts and much less interesting or relevant than, for example, the two world wars. Indeed, many of my friends who have an interest in history and studied it at A-level or even degree level admit that what they know about anything before the reign of Henry VIII could be written on the back of a postage stamp! (And that knowledge often comes from our greatest playwright). One commonly held opinion is that as literacy was rare during the medieval period, and generally the prerogative of clerics, the voices of ‘the people’ are rarely heard in the surviving sources. That this is simply not true should soon become clear to the reader.
In my attempt to dispel the myth that medieval history is largely devoid of interest and best avoided, I have compiled a collection of w