The Holy Blood: King Henry III and the Westminster Blood Relic

by Nicholas Vincent

• ISBN13: 9780521571289
• ISBN10: 0521571286
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-01-07
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The first extended study of relics of the Holy Blood: portions of the blood of Christ's passion preserved supposedly from the time of the Crucifixion and displayed as objects of wonder and veneration in the churches of medieval Europe. Inspired by the discovery of new evidence relating to the relic deposited by King Henry III at Westminster in 1247, the study proceeds from the particular political and spiritual motives that inspired this gift to a wider consideration of blood relics, their distribution across western Europe, their place in Christian devotion, and the controversies to which they gave rise among theologians. In the process the author advances a new thesis on the role of the sacred in Plantagenet court life as well as exploring various intriguing byways of medieval religion.

Table of Contents

List of illustrations	viii
List of maps	x
Acknowledgements	xi
List of abbreviations	xiii
Introduction	1	(6)
The ceremony of 1247	7	(13)
The patriarch's letters	20	(11)
The Holy Blood	31	(51)
The scholastic debate	82	(36)
Two commentaries: John Hus and William Sudbury	118	(19)
The rivals: Hailes, Ashridge, Glastonbury	137	(17)
The indulgences and the reliquary	154	(32)
Epilogue	186	(16)
Appendix 1: Letters of Robert patriarch of Jerusalem 1247	202	(3)
Appendix 2: An account of the restoration to life of William, son of Thomas le Brown	205	(1)
Appendix 3: The annals of Hailes for 1267--1270	206	(3)
Appendix 4: An account of the Holy Blood of Norwich	209	(2)
Bibliography	211	(29)
Index	240