The Celi De (clients of God'), sometimes referred to as the Culdees, comprise the group of monks who first appeared in Ireland in the eighth century in association with St Mael Ruain of Tallaght. Although influential and important in the development of the monastic tradition in Ireland, they have been neglected in general histories. This book offers an investigation into the movement. Proceeding from an examination of ascetic practice and theory in early medieval Ireland, followed by a fresh look at the evidence most often cited in support of the prevailing theory of celi De identity, the...

The cult of St David has been an enduring symbol of Welsh identity across more than a millennium. This volume, published to commemorate the fourteenth centenary of the death of the saint, traces the evidence for the cult of St David through archaeological, historical, hagiographical, liturgical, and toponymic evidence, and considers the role of the cult and church of St David in the history of Welsh society, politics, and landscape. The collection includes a new edition and translation of the Life of St David by Rhygyfarch, based on the text in British Library Ms. Cotton Vespasian A.xiv, as...

Anyone working on Britain and Ireland in the fifth century should pay close attention. MEDIEVAL ARCHAEOLOGY A fascinating work, which sheds light on a number of dark corners. EARLY MEDIEVAL EUROPE St Patrick's place in Irish history is celebrated, but is also the subject of intense controversy - even as to his death. Although the 1500th anniversary of that event was originally celebrated in 1961, there is every reason to think the death date of 461 unsustainable. This collection of essays commemorates a different date, 17 March 493, and takes stock of other difficult issues which require...

The Norman invasion of Ireland (1169) did not result in a complete conquest, and those native Irish chieftains who retained independent control of their territories achieved a recovery of power in the later middle ages. Katharine Simms studies the experience of the resurgent chieftains, who were undergoing significant developments during this period. The most obvious signs of change were the gradual disappearance of the title ri (king), and the ubiquitous presence of mercenary soldiers. On a deeper level, the institution of kingship itself had died, as is shown by this study of the election...

The close ties between Gaels of Ireland and Scotland are well known, but in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the elite in the core areas of the kingdom of the Scots apparently turned their backs on Gaelic culture. This book takes a new look at the issue, investigating the extent to which Scottish men of letters of the period identified the Scottish kingdom and its inhabitants with Ireland, and exploring the function of the kingdom's Irish identity. Dr Broun argues that a perceived historical link with Ireland was a fundamental feature of the kingdom's identity throughout the period, and...

Gildas's De excidio Britonum is a rare surviving contemporary source for the period which saw the beginning of the transformation of post-Roman Britain into Anglo-Saxon England. However, although the De excidio has received much scholarly attention over the last forty years, the value of the text as a primary source for this fascinating if obscure period of British history has been limited by our lack of knowledge concerning its historical and cultural context. In this new study the author challenges the assumption that the British Church was isolated from its Continental counterpart by...

The volume examines, through a series of case studies, the way in which saints' cults operated across and beyond political, ethnic and linguistic boundaries in the medieval British Isles and Ireland from the 6th to the 16th centuries. The papers highlight the factors that allowed particular cults to prosper in, or that made them relevant to, a variety of cultural contexts. The collection has a particular emphasis on northern Britain, and the role of devotional interests in connecting or shaping a number of polities and cultural identities Pictish, Scottish, Northumbrian, Irish, Welsh and...

The reign of the North Welsh king Gruffudd ap Cynan (1075-1135) marked the culmination of a century of rapid social and political change. A product of three cultures (Welsh, Irish and Scandinavian), Gruffudd faced a Wales divided by Norman incursion and dynastic rivalry; his re-creation of his kingdom saw him acting on the wider (and often deadly) stage of Anglo-Norman politics, and surviving where more traditional' Welsh rulers failed. His reign encouraged a new growth in Welsh literature and creativity, and is often looked upon as a literary golden age'. This collaborative biography...

The Life of St Germanus, by Constantius of Lyon, is a contemporary account of a fifth-century bishop of Auxerre, who on two occasions came to Britain. Professor E.A. Thompson tries to extract as much information as possible from the Dlifeabout the religious situation in Britain at the time of Germanus' visits, and the government, the circumstances of the famous Hallelujah Victory', the revolt of Armorica, and so on. He attempts to settle the vexed question of the date of Germanus' death, and he studies the qualities of Constantius himself. The book ends with a description of what may have...

The eleventh century was a time of political change throughout the British Isles, and especially so in Wales. Dr Maund examines the relationship of Wales to England and Ireland, and the ways in which Wales was affected by the political activities of these neighbours, setting this in the context of Welsh internal events and policies. She shows the rule of Gruffud ap Llywelyn to have been a turning point for Wales and also for English and Hiberno-Scandinavian politics, and demonstrates that the apparent political chaos was in fact a fascinating network of political activity and growth.