The Holy Blood
King Henry III and the Westminster Blood Relic

The first extended study of relics of the blood of Christ, the 'Holy Blood'.

Nicholas Vincent (Author)

9780521571289, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 13 December 2001

270 pages, 23 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.57 kg

'… this book is a solid work of scholarship, which makes a real contribution to appreciations of late medieval devotion. … This is a book of considerable interest, and impressive scholarship. Vincent has plundered a staggering range of material, reflected in detailed and extensive footnoting. At first the narrow title and somewhat esoteric focus might suggest that this is a book of limited appeal. Far from it: it certainly deserves to be read, and is highly readable. Interesting and enjoyable, it makes important contributions to understanding the Christocentric emphasis in the late medieval catholic devotion … a valuable and stimulating statement.' Heythrop Journal

The first extended study of relics of the Holy Blood: portions of the blood of Christ's passion preserved supposedly from the time of the Crucifixion and displayed as objects of wonder and veneration in the churches of medieval Europe. Inspired by the discovery of new evidence relating to the relic deposited by King Henry III at Westminster in 1247, the study proceeds from the particular political and spiritual motives that inspired this gift to a wider consideration of blood relics, their distribution across western Europe, their place in Christian devotion, and the controversies to which they gave rise among theologians. In the process the author advances a new thesis on the role of the sacred in Plantagenet court life as well as exploring various intriguing byways of medieval religion.

Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. The ceremony of 1247
3. The patriarch's letters
4. The Holy Blood
5. The scholastic debate
6. Two commentaries: John Hus and William Sudbury
7. The rivals: Hailes, Ashridge, Glastonbury
8. The indulgences and the reliquary
Epilogue
Appendices
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Religion & beliefs [HR], Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500 [HBLC], British & Irish history [HBJD1]