The Annals of Dunstable Priory are a major and accurate source for the Barons' War of Henry III's reign, including material from official documents, The Annals of Dunstable Priory are a valuable witness to thirteenth-century England. They record much of interest, from the day-to-day concerns of the Augustinian house that produced the text to the events of the Ninth Crusade. They commenced under the direction of the well-connected Prior Richard de Morins, who, amongst other important events of his age, attended the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215, studied at the University of Paris, and undertookdiplomatic missions for King John. Giving insights into many facets of medieval life, they perhaps most importantly offer detailed accounts of key events on an national and international stage, including the crisis of the Second Barons' War in the reign of Henry III, and the conquest of Wales under Edward I. Told with humour, outrage, and truthful detail, the Annals offer a lively and accessible account of an important and turbulent period of English history. This new translation makes them available to a wider audience for the first time.The Chronica Maiora of Thomas Walsingham, a Choice Outstanding Academic Title.

First Published in 1974. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Excommunication was the medieval churchs most severe sanction, used against people at all levels of society. It was a spiritual, social, and legal penalty. Excommunication in Thirteenth-Century England offers a fresh perspective on medieval excommunication by taking a multi-dimensional approach to discussion of the sanction. Using England as a case study, Felicity Hill analyzes the intentions behind excommunication; how it was perceived and received, at both national and local level; the effects it had upon individuals and society. The study is structured thematically to argue that our understanding of excommunication should be shaped by how it was received within the community as well as the intentions of canon law and clerics. Challenging past assumptions about the inefficacy of excommunication, Hill argues that the sanction remained a useful weapon for the clerical elite: bringing into dialogue a wide range of source material allows effectiveness to be judged within a broader context. The complexity of political communication and action are revealed through public, conflicting, accepted and rejected excommunications. Excommunication could be manipulated to great effect in political conflicts and was an important means by which political events were communicated down the social strata of medieval society. Through its exploration of excommunication, the book reveals much about medieval cursing, pastoral care, fears about the afterlife, social ostracism, shame and reputation, and mass communication.