Pageantry and power : a cultural history of the early modern Lord Mayor's Show, 1585-1639

The London Lord Mayors' Shows were high-profile and lavish entertainments that were at the centre of the cultural life of the City of London in the early modern period. The Show was staged annually to celebrate the inauguration of the new Lord Mayor. The London mayoralty was not simply an entity of civic power, but always had its ritual and ceremonial dimensions. Pageantry was a feature of the day's entertainment. This book focuses on the social, cultural and economic contexts, in which the Shows were designed, presented and experienced, and explores the Shows in textual, historical, bibliographical, and archival and other contexts. It highlights the often-overlooked roles of the artificer and those other craftsmen who contributed so valuably to the day's entertainment. The Show was the concern of the Great Twelve livery companies from the ranks of one of which the Lord Mayor was elected. The book discusses, inter alia, the actors' roles, the props, music and costumes used during the Show and looks at how important emblems and imagery were to these productions. Pageant writers and artificers took advantage of the space available to them just as dramatists did on the professional stage. From 1585 onwards the Lord Mayor's Show was with increasing frequency transmitted from event to text in the form of short pamphlets produced in print runs ranging from 200 to 800 copies. The book also demonstrates the ways in which the Shows engaged with the changing socio-economic scene of London and with court and city politics. This electronic version has been made available under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND) open access license. Pageantry and power is the first full and in-depth cultural history of the Lord Mayor's Show in the early modern period. It provides new insight into the culture and history of the London of Shakespeare's time and beyond. Central to the cultural life of London, the Lord Mayor's Shows were high-profile and lavish entertainments produced by some of the most talented writers of the time. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, Pageantry and power explores various important factors, including the relationship between the printed texts of the Shows and actual events. This full-scale study of the civic works of important writers enhances our understanding of their other, often better-known, dramatic works contributing to a fuller estimation of their literary careers. This book is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of early modern literature, drama, history, civic culture, pageantry, urban studies, cultural geography, book history, as well as the interested general reader. Pageantry and power won the 2011 David Bevington Award for the Best New Book in Early Drama Studies.

Pageantry and Power is the first full and in-depth cultural history of the Lord Mayor's Show in the early modern period. It provides new insight into the culture and history of the London of Shakespeare's time and beyond.Central to the cultural life of London, the Lord Mayor's Shows were high-profile and lavish entertainments produced by some of the most talented writers of the time. Employing an interdisciplinary approach, Pageantry and Power explores various important factors, including the relationship between the printed texts of the Shows and actual events.This full-scale study of the civic works of important writers enhances our understanding of their other, often better-known, dramatic works contributing to a fuller estimation of their literary careers.This book is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of early modern literature, drama, history, civic culture, pageantry, urban studies, cultural geography, book history, as well as the interested general reader.

Front matter Dedication Contents List of figures Acknowledgements ‘From low-obscure Beginnings raysde to Fame’: critical and historical contexts of the Lord Mayor’s Show ‘Our devices for that solemne and Iouiall daye’: the writers, the artificers and the livery companies ‘A day of well Compos’d Variety of Speach and shew’: bringing the Shows to life ‘A briefe narration of each seuerall shew’: the Show from street to print ‘To prune and dresse the Tree of Gouernment’: political and contemporary contexts of the Shows Appendix 1 The Lord Mayors’ Shows, 1585–1639: summary Appendix 2 Governance of the City of London Bibliography Index This is the first full and in-depth cultural history of the Lord Mayor's Show in the early modern period. It reveals the lived experience of the shows and sets them in the context of the wider ceremonial culture of early modern England. Pageantry and Power is the first full and in-depth cultural history of the Lord Mayor’s Show in the early modern period. The book provides new insight into the culture and history of the London of Shakespeare’s time and beyond.