Thirteenth Century England XVIII

Essays exploring and problematizing the idea of an exceptional England within Western Europe during the long thirteenth century. <p/>The theme of this volume Exceptional England follows on from that of the previous one England in Europe. Both respond to two long-term historiographical trends among British medievalists: to place England and Britain in a wider European context and conversely to emphasise the differences between developments in England and those elsewhere either explicitly or implicitly. The essays here in tackling aspects of political religious cultural and urban history are often concerned with shifts that transcend the national because they are driven by forces operating on a European or at least a western European scale. A number bring developments in England into conversation with those in other regions turning not only to France a traditional comparator but also ranging further using Poland Italy Spain and Hungary as points of comparison. Others problematise England's boundaries by considering the fates of people caught between worlds as English continental possessions shrank. If England emerges in these essays as rather less exceptional some of the contributions highlight its unusually rich sources suggesting ways in which these riches might illuminate the history of Europe in the long thirteenth century more generally. Particular subjects addressed include the fortunes of the knightly class the dynamics of episcopal election and models of child kingship along with new studies of Gerald of Wales and Simon de Montfort.