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Writing History for the King

by Charity L. Urbanski
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Current price ₹9,886.00
Original price ₹11,864.00
Original price ₹11,864.00
Original price ₹11,864.00
(-17%)
₹9,886.00
Current price ₹9,886.00

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Book cover type: Hardcover
  • ISBN13: 9780801451317
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • Subject: N/A
  • Publisher: Cornell University Press
  • Publisher Imprint: Cornell University Press
  • Publication Date:
  • Pages: 272
  • Original Price: USD 85.95
  • Language: English
  • Edition: N/A
  • Item Weight: 522 grams
  • BISAC Subject(s): Europe / Medieval

Writing History for the King is at once a reassessment of the reign of Henry II of England (1133-1189) and an original contribution to our understanding of the rise of vernacular historiography in the high Middle Ages. Charity Urbanski focuses on two dynastic histories commissioned by Henry: Wace's Roman de Rou (c. 1160-1174) and Beno�t de Sainte-Maure's Chronique des ducs de Normandie (c. 1174-1189). In both cases, Henry adopted the new genre of vernacular historical writing in Old French verse in an effort to disseminate a royalist version of the past that would help secure a grip on power for himself and his children. Wace was the first to be commissioned, but in 1174 the king abruptly fired him, turning the task over to Beno�t de Sainte-Maure.Urbanski examines these histories as part of a single enterprise intended to cement the king's authority by enhancing the prestige of Henry II's dynasty. In a close reading of Wace's Rou, she shows that it presented a less than flattering picture of Henry's predecessors, in effect challenging his policies and casting a shadow over the legitimacy of his rule. Beno�t de Sainte-Maure's Chronique, in contrast, mounted a staunchly royalist defense of Anglo-Norman kingship. Urbanski reads both works in the context of Henry's reign, arguing that as part of his drive to curb baronial power he sought a history that would memorialize his dynasty and solidify its claim to England and Normandy.

Charity Urbanski is Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Washington.

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