Heraldry, Pageantry and Social Display in Medieval England

Medieval culture was intensely visual. Although this has long been recognised by art historians and by enthusiasts for particular media, there has been little attempt to study social display as a subject in its own right. And yet, display takes us directly into the values, aspirations and, indeed, anxieties of past societies. In this illustrated volume a group of experts address a series of interrelated themes around the issue of display. Among the themes are family and lineage, social distinction and aspiration, ceremony and social bonding, and the expression of power and authority. The objects studied include monumental effigies, brasses, stained glass, rolls of arms, manuscripts, jewels, plate, seals and coins.PETER COSS is Professor of Medieval History, Cardiff University. MAURICE KEEN is Emeritus Fellow of Balliol College, Oxford.Contributors: MAURICE KEEN, DAVID CROUCH, PETER COSS, CAROLINE SHENTON, ADRIAN AILES, FRÉDÉRIQUE LACHAUD, MARIAN CAMPBELL, BRIAN AND MOIRA GITTOS, NIGEL SAUL, FIONN PILBROW, CAROLINE BARRON, JOHN WATTS.Table of ContentsIntroduction - Maurice H KeenThe Historian, Lineage and Heraldry, 1050-1250 - David CrouchKnighthood, Heraldry and Social Exclusion in Edwardian England - Peter CossEdward III and the Symbol of the Leopard - Caroline ShentonHeraldry in Medieval England: Symbols of Politics and Propaganda - Adrian AilesDress and Social Status in England before the Sumptuary Laws - Frédérique LachaudMedieval Founders' Relics: Royal and Episcopal Patronage at Oxford and Cambridge Colleges - Marian CampbellMotivation and Choice: The Selection of Medieval Secular Effigies - Brian & Moira GittosBold as Brass: Secular Display in English Medieval Brasses - Nigel SaulThe Knights of the Bath: Dubbing to Knighthood in Lancastrian and Yorkist England - Fionn PilbrowChivalry, Pageantry and Merchant Culture in Medieval London - Caroline BarronLooking for the State in Later Medieval England - John L Watts Read more