Peace and Protection in the Middle Ages (Durham Medieval and Renaissance Monographs and Essays)

That kings, prelates and even lowly freemen were, under certain specified conditions, capable of offering protection or 'peace' to others, usually their inferiors, is relatively well known. That a breach of this protection might entitle, or indeed oblige, the protector to take action against the violator is similarly well understood. However, this protective dynamic has rarely received direct scholarly attention, despite its being evident in an extraordinary range of contexts. The emotional aspects of protection - the honour and love associated with the bond it creates, and the shame and anger that accompany its breach - resonate in both heroic and chivalric ideals, whilst in legal fiction at least, the king's protection or peace would come to underpin the common law of trespass. Such a broad sweep, taking in social, legal, religious and cultural elements, suggests that protection as a concept may have a wider significance than its marginal role in current historiography would indicate. Indeed, the influence of protection both in forming social bonds and in providing a framework for the legitimate use of force suggests that the concept could serve as a valuable counterpoint to more traditional 'institutional' understandings of power. This book explores peace and protection as a fundamental motor of medieval society, across a broad geographical and chronological span; brings together literary, legal and historical studies making use of a wide range of approaches; and focuses scholarly attention as never before on the concept of peace and protection viewed in relation to kings and lords, charity and mercy, and the action of feud and vendetta. Introduction : Some Approaches To Peace And Protection In The Middle Ages / T.b. Lambert -- Kingship, Lordship And Protection. Protection And The Mead-hall / David Rollason -- Royal Protection In Aquitaine And Gascony By C. 1000 : The Public, The Private, And The Princely / Claire Taylor -- Protecting The Body In Early Medieval Law / Lisi Oliver -- Protection And Immunity In Later Medieval England / Helen Lacey -- The Peace Of The Church. Madness And Responsibility In Anglo-saxon England / Stefan Jurasinski -- Spiritual Protection And Secular Power : The Evolution Of Sanctuary And Legal Privilege In Ripon And Beverley, 900-1300 -- Charitable Constraint : The Sacred Obligation Of Charity As A Protective Force In Late Medieval England -- Feud And Protection. Protection, Warranty, And Vengeance In La Chanson De Roland / Stephen D. White -- Vengeance And Mercy In Chivalric Mentalité / Richard Kaeuper -- The Ideology Of Vengeance In Old Norse Mythology. Edited By T.b. Lambert And David Rollason. Papers From The International Congress On Medieval Studies At Kalamazoo In 2007 And The International Medieval Congress At Leeds In 2007. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Includes Some Text In Latin, Middle English, Middle French, And Old Norse.