3 Review(s)

Latest research on the chivalric ethos of western Europe 10c-15c. from the practical [houses, armour], to the intellectual [concept of holy war, loyalty, etc.]These eight papers from the Strawberry Hill Conference cover a wide area, but common themes emerge. One group of essays deals with the embellishments of lordship, both architectural and heraldic, studying residences and also developments in armour. A second group concerns ideals which motivated the aristocracy of western Europe, from the late 10th to the 15th centuries: romances, the Peace movement of Aquitaine, holy war, and loyalty. Concentration on rationalism and free will in the writings of the cultural circle which revolved around Sir John Fastolf is identified as an important element in the development of the English Renaissance.Professor CHRISTOPHER HARPER-BILLteaches in the Department of History, University of East Anglia; Dr RUTH HARVEY is lecturer in French, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College. Contributors: ADRIAN AILES, JEFFREY ASHCROFT, CHARLES COULSON, JONATHAN HUGHES, JANE MARTINDALE, PETER NOBLE, MATTHEW STRICKLAND, ANN WILLIAMS