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 |
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Paper 114-a | Three Crowns of Brutus: An Idea of a Universal Insular Kingdom (Language: English) Index terms: Art History - General, Heraldry, Politics and Diplomacy |
Paper 114-b | The King's Dragons: Medieval Mythmaking and Propaganda in the Reign of Henry VII (Language: English) Index terms: Art History - General, Heraldry, Historiography - Medieval, Manuscripts and Palaeography |
Paper 114-c | Patronage of Friars in English-Ireland (Language: English) Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Religious Life |
Abstract | Paper -a: Paper -b: Paper -c: 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. |