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Rewriting the First Crusade

Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages

Dr Thomas W Smith (Contributor)

$117.95   $94.08

Hardback

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English
Boydell & Brewer
16 April 2024
An exploration of the letters from the First Crusade, yielding evidence for a number of reinterpretations of the movement. The letters stemming from the First Crusade are premier sources for understanding the launch, campaign, and aftermath of the expedition. Between 1095 and 1100, epistles sustained social relationships across the Mediterranean and within Europe, as a mixture of historical writing, literary invention, news, and theological interpretation. They served ecclesiastical administration, projected authority, and formed focal points for spiritual commemoration and para-liturgical campaigns. This volume, grounded on extensive research into the original manuscripts, and presenting numerous new manuscript witnesses, argues that some of the letters are post hoc ""inventions"", composed by generations of scribe-readers who visited crusading sites from the twelfth century on, adding new layers of meaning in the form of interpolations and post-scripts. Drawing upon this new understanding, and blurring the distinction of epistolary ""reality"", it rewrites central aspects of the history of the First Crusade, considering the documents in a new way: as markers of enthusiasm and support for the crusade movement among monastic clergy, who copied and consumed them as a form of scribal crusading. Whether authentic letters or literary ""confections"", they functioned as communal sites for the celebration, commemoration and memorialisation of the expedition.
By:  
Imprint:   Boydell & Brewer
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 234mm,  Width: 156mm, 
Weight:   453g
ISBN:   9781837651757
ISBN 10:   1837651752
Series:   Crusading in Context
Pages:   246
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Thomas W. Smith gained his PhD from Royal Holloway, University of London; he is presently Keeper of the Scholars and Head of Oxbridge (Arts and Humanities) at Rugby School.

Reviews for Rewriting the First Crusade: Epistolary Culture in the Middle Ages

Das vorliegende Buch ist ein hervorragender Beweis dafür, wie unverzichtbar die Historischen Grundwissenschaften, besonders Paläographie und Diplomatik, für die Geschichtswissenschaft sind. ...Das Buch sei daher nicht nur Mediävisten, sondern auch Literaturwissenschaftlern zur Lektüre empfohlen, da es in die Methoden historischer Quellenkritik und Rezeptionsforschung einführt und wertvolle Ergebnisse zur mittelalterlichen Briefkultur und Mentalitätsgeschichte beisteuert."" (The present book is an excellent testament to the indispensable role of the auxiliary historical sciences, especially palaeography and diplomatics, in the study of history. ...It is therefore recommended not only to medievalists but also to literary scholars, as it provides an introduction to the methods of historical source criticism and reception studies, while offering valuable insights into medieval letter culture and the history of mentalities.) * FRANCIA RECENSIO *


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