A gripping biography that brings together the most recent research to shed provocative new light on the life of Saint Patrick Saint Patrick was, by his own admission, a controversial figure. Convicted in a trial by his elders in Britain and hounded by rumors that he settled in Ireland for financial gain, the man who was to become Ireland's patron saint battled against great odds before succeeding as a missionary. Saint Patrick Retold draws on recent research to offer a fresh assessment of Patrick's travails and achievements. This is the first biography in nearly fifty years to explore Patrick's career against the background of historical events in late antique Britain and Ireland. Roy Flechner examines the likelihood that Patrick, like his father before him, might have absconded from a career as an imperial official responsible for taxation, preferring instead to migrate to Ireland with his family's slaves, who were his source of wealth. Flechner leaves no stone unturned as he takes readers on a riveting journey through Romanized Britain and late Iron Age Ireland, and he considers how best to interpret the ambiguous literary and archaeological evidence from this period of great political and economic instability, a period that brought ruin for some and opportunity for others. Rather than a dismantling of Patrick's reputation, or an argument against his sainthood, Flechner's biography raises crucial questions about self-image and the making of a reputation. From boyhood deeds to the challenges of a missionary enterprise, Saint Patrick Retold steps beyond established narratives to reassess a notable figure's life and legacy.

About the Author
Roy Flechner is lecturer in early medieval history at University College Dublin. He is the coeditor of several books, including The Irish in Early Medieval Europe and The Introduction of Christianity into the Early Medieval Insular World. He lives in Dublin.

Reviews
"Drawing on sources as diverse as archaeology, canon law, and social theory, Roy Flechner shifts our perspective on Patrick by situating him firmly within the broader context of the late Roman Empire, post-Roman Britain, and early medieval Europe. Flechner's probing exploration of Patrick's own writings within this framework sheds new light on the figure of Ireland's national saint."--Catherine McKenna, Harvard University "In recent years, many new sources about Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, have been excavated and new theories formulated, so the time is ripe for a reevaluation of Patrick's life and work. Roy Flechner, a rising star in early medieval Irish history, is the right person for this task. This engaging book will no doubt become a bestseller among Patrick's fans throughout the world, as well as those interested in early medieval Ireland, its culture, and its saints."--Yitzhak Hen, author of Roman Barbarians "This superb and stylishly executed work does a splendid job of surveying the life of Patrick, ending with a helpful overview of later developments of the saint in popular culture. Filling a gap, this impressive work will be gratefully received by historians of late antiquity and early medieval Britain and Ireland, and Celticists, not to mention a large body of general readers."--Mark Williams, author of Ireland's Immortals



Book Information
ISBN 9780691184647
Author Dr. Roy Flechner
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press