A Tale of Two Monasteries : Westminster and Saint-Denis in the Thirteenth Century

From The Publisher: A Tale Of Two Monasteries Takes An Unprecedented Look At One Of The Great Rivalries Of The Middle Ages And Offers It As A Revealing Lens Through Which To View The Intertwined Histories Of Medieval England And France. This Is The First Book To Systematically Compare Westminster Abbey And The Abbey Of Saint-denis-two Of The Most Important Ecclesiastical Institutions Of The Thirteenth Century-and To Do So Through The Lives And Competing Careers Of The Two Men Who Ruled Them, Richard De Ware Of Westminster And Mathieu De Vendome Of Saint-denis. Esteemed Historian William Jordan Weaves A Breathtaking Narrative Of The Social, Cultural, And Political History Of The Period. It Was An Age Of Rebellion And Crusades, Of Artistic And Architectural Innovation, Of Unprecedented Political Reform, And Of Frustrating International Diplomacy-and Richard And Mathieu, In One Way Or Another, Played Important Roles In All These Developments. Jordan Traces Their Rise From Obscure Backgrounds To The Highest Ranks Of Political Authority, Abbot Richard Becoming Royal Treasurer Of England, And Abbot Mathieu Twice Serving As A Regent Of France During The Crusades. By Enabling Us To Understand The Complex Relationships The Abbots And Their Rival Institutions Shared With Each Other And With The Kings And Social Networks That Supported And Exploited Them, A Tale Of Two Monasteries Paints A Vivid Portrait Of Medieval Society And Politics, And Of The Ambitious Men Who Influenced Them So Profoundly. England And France In The Early Thirteenth Century -- Two Great Monasteries And Two Young Men -- The Treaty Of Paris -- The Best Of Times, The Worst Of Times -- A Monumental Rivalry -- Two Royal Successions -- The Abbeys In The New Regimes -- Diplomacy And Governance -- Epilogue. William Chester Jordan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [223]-242) And Index. A Tale of Two Monasteries takes an unprecedented look at one of the great rivalries of the Middle Ages and offers it as a revealing lens through which to view the intertwined histories of medieval England and France. This is the first book to systematically compare Westminster Abbey and the abbey of Saint-Denis--two of the most important ecclesiastical institutions of the thirteenth century--and to do so through the lives and competing careers of the two men who ruled them, Richard de Ware of Westminster and Mathieu de Vendôme of Saint-Denis. Esteemed historian William Jordan weaves a breathtaking narrative of the social, cultural, and political history of the period. It was an age of rebellion and crusades, of artistic and architectural innovation, of unprecedented political reform, and of frustrating international diplomacy--and Richard and Mathieu, in one way or another, played important roles in all these developments. Jordan traces their rise from obscure backgrounds to the highest ranks of political authority, Abbot Richard becoming royal treasurer of England, and Abbot Mathieu twice serving as a regent of France during the crusades. By enabling us to understand the complex relationships the abbots and their rival institutions shared with each other and with the kings and social networks that supported and exploited them, A Tale of Two Monasteries paints a vivid portrait of medieval society and politics, and of the ambitious men who influenced them so profoundly. CONTENTS......Page 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 10 PREFACE......Page 12 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 16 TECHNICAL MATTERS: CURRENCIES, CALENDARS, NOMENCLATURE......Page 18 CHAPTER I: England and France in the Early Thirteenth Century......Page 22 CHAPTER II: Two Great Monasteries and Two Young Men......Page 46 CHAPTER III: The Treaty of Paris......Page 70 CHAPTER IV: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times......Page 87 CHAPTER V: A Monumental Rivalry......Page 121 CHAPTER VI: Two Royal Successions......Page 151 CHAPTER VII: The Abbeys in the New Regimes......Page 180 CHAPTER VIII: Diplomacy and Governance......Page 203 CHAPTER IX: Epilogue......Page 237 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 244 E......Page 264 N......Page 265 W......Page 266