Society and Culture in Medieval Rouen, 911-1300

Leonie Hicks, Elma Brenner (eds)

Pages: 400 p.
Size:156 x 234 mm
Illustrations:35 b/w

Language(s):English
Publication Year:2013

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This publication presents exciting and innovative research on one of the major cities of medieval Western Europe, Rouen.

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Review(s)

"Undoubtedly, therefore, the present volume represents a welcome addition to the already existing range of compendiums devoted to important places and institutions in medieval Europe, as it caters to a long-standing desideratum within contemporary Anglo-Norman scholarship." (Benjamin Pohl, in: Reviews in History, 13 March 2014)

" (...) [the editors] success in revealing various facets of the city should make comparative work easier." (David S. Spear, in: The Medieval Review, 14.10.27)

"Au total, l'ouvrage qui propose en fin de chaque chapitre une solide bibliographie, ouvre des pistes de recherche très stimulantes. (...) On félicitera nos deux collègues britanniques de nous donner ce livre remarquable." (Véronique Gazeau, dans: Francia-Recensio, 2014/4, http://www.perspectivia.net/content/publikationen/francia/francia-recensio/2014-4/MA/hicks_gazeau)

"Insgesamt unterstreicht der Band die Attraktivität des Sujets. Manche (...) seiner Beiträge werden grundlegend für weitere Arbeiten sein (...)." (Jörg Peltzer, in: Historische Zeitschrift, 300.2, 2015, p. 476-478)

"An even dozen essays fill out this tripartite tome (...), its ground-breaking scope complemented by bold and authorative comparisons and contextualizations, as well as detailed maps, over twenty illustrations, and a robust index of names and terms." (in: Forum for Modern Language Studies, 51.2, April 2015, p. 236)

"The volume could usefully be consulted in conjunction with another recent Brepols collection, Normandy and its Neighbours 900–1250 (...). That edition covered a very similar time period but tended to look outwards, as its title suggests. Here the focus is inwards but together the two collections represent a significant advance in scholarship on Normandy during its medieval heyday." (Lindsay Diggelmann, in: Parergon, 31.2, 2014, p. 170-171)

"(...) ce recueil constitue le noeud d'un réseau de connaissances et de pistes de recherche sur un pôle urbain de rang européen. Les éditions de sources qui accompagnent les articles de R. Allen et de D. Power, ainsi que la bibliographie actualisée qui a été constituée, faciliteront les nouvelles enquêtes appelées de leurs voeux par les éditrices du volume." (François Rivière, in: Annales. Histoire, Sciences sociales, 4-2015, p. 1004-1006)

"Ce n'est ici qu'une petite partie de ce que nous apporte ce beau livre qui explore les espaces urbains dans toutes leurs acceptions, monumentales, festives, culturelles et sociales." (Élisabeth Lalou, in Médiévales 69, automne 2015, http://medievales.revues.org/7663 )

Summary

Rouen, one of the leading cities of medieval Western Europe, has long awaited detailed consideration in English by modern scholars. This book presents exciting new research on the society and culture of medieval Rouen by British and Continental historians. Divided into three sections, addressing space and representation, religious culture, and social networks, the volume is both wide-ranging and tightly focused. The key themes include Rouen’s relationship with its environs, image and identity, social and political relationships, and Rouen’s status as the ‘capital’ of Normandy. The essays discuss topics ranging from urban development and charity, the city's aristocratic and ecclesiastical elites, to the Jewish community, and the relationship of the Angevin kings with Rouen. Comparisons and contextualization, as well as detailed maps, make the book valuable to not only readers interested in Rouen and Normandy, but also those who wish to learn more about medieval cities, culture, and society.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface — DAVID BATES

Introduction — ELMA BRENNER AND LEONIE V. HICKS

Part I. Space and Representation

The Urban Development of Rouen, 989–1345 — BERNARD GAUTHIEZ

Rouen and its Place in the Building Policy of the Angevin Kings — FANNY MADELINE

Rouen as Another Rome in the Twelfth Century — ELISABETH VAN HOUTS

Through the City Streets: Movement and Space in Rouen as Seen by the Norman Chroniclers — LEONIE V. HICKS

Part II. Rouen as a Religious Centre

‘Praesul praecipue, atque venerande’: The Career of Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, 989–1037 — RICHARD ALLEN

Archbishops and the City: Powers, Conflicts, and Jurisdiction in the Parishes of Rouen (Eleventh–Thirteenth Centuries) — GRÉGORY COMBALBERT

Part III. Social Networks

Women, Property, and Power: Some Examples from Eleventh-Century Rouen Cartularies — KIRSTEN A. FENTON

The Burgesses of Rouen in the Late Twelfth and Early Thirteenth Centuries — MANON SIX

Rouen and the Aristocracy of Angevin Normandy — DANIEL POWER

King John and Rouen: Royal Itineration, Kingship, and the Norman ‘Capital’, c. 1199–c. 1204 — PAUL WEBSTER

The Care of the Sick and Needy in Twelfth and Thirteenth-Century Rouen — ELMA BRENNER

The Jews of Rouen in the Eleventh to the Thirteenth Centuries — ELMA BRENNER AND LEONIE V. HICKS