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IMC 2019: Sessions

Session 114: Patronage and Representation in 15th-Century England

Monday 1 July 2019, 11.15-12.45

Moderator/Chair:Daniel Oliver, School of Humanities (History), University of Glasgow
Paper 114-aThree Crowns of Brutus: An Idea of a Universal Insular Kingdom
(Language: English)
Jakub Jauernig, Department of Czech History, Univerzita Karlova , Praha
Index terms: Art History - General, Heraldry, Politics and Diplomacy
Paper 114-bThe King's Dragons: Medieval Mythmaking and Propaganda in the Reign of Henry VII
(Language: English)
John-Wilhelm Flattun, Institutt for lingvistiske, litterære og estetiske studier, Universitetet i Bergen
Index terms: Art History - General, Heraldry, Historiography - Medieval, Manuscripts and Palaeography
Paper 114-cPatronage of Friars in English-Ireland
(Language: English)
Rowena McCallum, School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy & Politics, Queen's University Belfast
Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Religious Life
Abstract

Paper -a:
This paper is focused on the usage of Geoffrey of Monmouth's 'British history' during the War of the Roses by Edward IV of York, and especially in one of his genealogical rolls (Philadelphia Free Library, Lewis E 201). This richly illuminated, and highly elaborate manuscript could be used for understanding which role the 'British history' played in medieval rulers' propaganda. The key role in Edward IV's genealogical roll is a coat of arms of the mythical founder of Britain - Brutus of Troy. This is rare, and probably the only surviving piece of Brutus' heraldry arms which was, according to primary sources, connected with many English and Welsh monarchs.

Paper -b:
Given his place in the War of the Roses and part in the formation of a state narrative, Henry VII's use of familiar motifs of power and identity plays on the role myth has in the formation of history and national collective. This visual propaganda plays on myth and history to create a shared collective belonging, agreed history and preferred truth. I will focus on how the illuminated manuscripts, specifically those depicting the national figures St George and King Arthur, differ in the construction of visual cultural and social memory from the iconography and materiality of political propaganda of war.

Paper -c:
The Mendicant Friars arrived in Ireland in the early 13th century and quickly established foundations at Dublin, Kilkenny, Drogheda, Waterford, and Cork. The Mendicants had to compete with the Church and religious houses, both of which were long-established cornerstones of medieval society, in order to spread their message and increase their popularity. Yet in spite of fierce competition and critical literature, the Mendicant Friars were not only successful in establishing themselves as an integral aspect of religious life, but they had also fully immersed and integrated themselves into medieval Dublin by the close of fourteenth century.

From their arrival in Dublin in 1224 the Mendicant Friars relied heavily on royal patronage to help establish their orders. However, by the 15th century they relied more heavily on civic patronage. An analysis of the contents of wills has long been a tried and tested methodology adopted by historians, revealing the family ties, professional networks, or contacts, and even the religious beliefs of the deceased. This paper, therefore, examines the large body of wills in which Dubliners bequeathed gifts, goods, money, property or land to the Mendicant Friars in the 15th century. Such a study, on the one hand, can shed light on how and when the Friars became fully integrated into Dublin society; but, on the other, can illustrate how medieval Dubliners viewed the Friars and accepted their teachings. A comparison of the goods bequeathed to the Mendicants with those left to the Church or other monastic orders, such as the Benedictines or Cistercians, reveals not only what Dubliners left to ecclesiastics but whether they felt a greater affinity or connection to the worldly practices of the Friars. After all, a number of wealthy Dubliners requested to be buried in friaries. Were the urban-based Friars, therefore, more popular with Dubliners and subsequently, did townsmen mention the former regularly in their wills? If this was indeed the case, this paper will explore the various reasons for the growing popularity of the Friars.