An investigation into the role of the high-ranking churchman in this period - who they were, what they did, and how they perceived themselves. High ecclesiastical office in the Middle Ages inevitably brought power, wealth and patronage. The essays in this volume examine how late medieval and Renaissance prelates deployed the income and influence of their offices, how they understood their role, and how they were viewed by others. Focusing primarily on but not exclusively confined to England, this collection explores the considerable common ground between cardinals, bishops and monastic superiors.Leading authorities on the late medieval and sixteenth-century Church analyse the political, cultural and pastoral activities of high-ranking churchmen, and consider how episcopal and abbatial expenditure was directed, justifiedand perceived. Overall, the collection enhances our understanding of ecclesiastical wealth and power in an era when the concept and role of the prelate were increasingly contested. Dr Martin Heale is Senior Lecturer inLate Medieval History, University of Liverpool. Contributors: Martin Heale, Michael Carter, James G. Clark, Gwilym Dodd, Felicity Heal, Anne Hudson, Emilia Jamroziak, Cedric Michon, Elizabeth A. New, Wendy Scase, Benjamin Thompson, C.M. Woolgar

About the Author
ELIZABETH A. NEW is Reader in Medieval History at Aberystwyth University, and has published widely on Christocentric devotion, the material culture of medieval religion, and medieval seals and sealing practices. GWILYM DODD is Associate Professor of History at the University of Nottingham. WENDY SCASE is Emeritus Geoffrey Shepherd Professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Birmingham.

Reviews
Attractively produced and illustrated, this volume helps to fill a scholarly gap in the study of the higher clergy of the late-medieval period and will hopefully act as a stimulus to further research. * CHURCH MONUMENTS *
A fine book full of serious thinking about prelates and the world they inhabited. * ARCHIVES *
Congratulations are due to the York Medieval Press and the Boydell Press for a well-produced volume that makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of the high-flying clergy of late medieval and early modern England and Europe. * THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW *



Book Information
ISBN 9781903153581
Author Martin Heale
Format Hardback
Page Count 335
Imprint York Medieval Press
Publisher York Medieval Press
Weight(grams) 1g