Patrons and Defenders: The Saints in the Italian City State (International Library of Historical Studies) - Hardcover

Webb, Diana

 
9781860640292: Patrons and Defenders: The Saints in the Italian City State (International Library of Historical Studies)
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 186064029X ISBN 13: 9781860640292
Publisher: I.B.Tauris, 1996

Synopsis

The cult of the saints played a vital role in the political life of Italian city states in the Middle Ages. The saints were a unifying force for a city, and brought prestige and power to its rulers, therefore the cult of the saints was bound up with the civic agenda, and worship was politically charged. Laymen - able men of affairs, orthodox and ""kirchentreu"", increasingly assumed responsibility for ensuring that ""celestial guarantees"" were obtained for a city's well-being, despite the traditionally powerful influence of the church.

This book is therefore not a hagiography, but an intensely political study of an age in which religious experience was seen as part of everyday life, and in which it seemed natural to medieval politicians to involve the saints in politics.

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About the Author

Diana Webb was Senior Lecturer in History at Kings College London, UK. Her previous books include Patrons and Defenders: the Saints in the Italian City States (1996); Pilgrims and Pilgrimage in Medieval Europe (1999); Pilgrimage in Medieval England (2000); Medieval European Pilgrimage (2002); and Saints and Cities in Medieval Italy (2006).

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
I.B.Tauris
Publication date
1996
Language
English
ISBN 10 
186064029X
ISBN 13 
9781860640292
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
304