Monastic Reform and the Geography of Christendom:Experience, Observation and Influence

Monastic reform is generally understood as a textually-driven process governed by a renewed interest in early monastic ideals and practices in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and focusing on the discourses of reformers about the Egyptian ‘desert fathers’ as the originators of monasticism. Historians have suggested that tropes about the desert, solitude etc drawn from early texts found their way into mainstream accounts of monastic change in the period ca.1080-1150 . This article challenges this model by proposing that considerations of ‘reform’ must take into account parallel movements in Greek Orthodox monasticism and interactions of practice between the two monastic environments. Three case studies of non-textually derived parallel practices are discussed, and the importance of the Holy Land as a source of inspiration for such practices is advanced in place of Egypt

The Crusades:a beginner's guide

In 1095 Pope Urban II launched the First Crusade to recover Jerusalem from the Seljuq Turks. Tens of thousands of people joined his cause, making it the single largest event of the Middle Ages. The conflict would extend for over 200 years and transform Christian and Islamic relations forever. This book takes readers through the key events, focussing on the experience of crusading, from both sides

A Hermit's Cookbook:Monks, Food and Fasting in the Middle Ages

This book explores monastic attitudes to food and fasting, opens the lid on how hermits and monks prepared and ate their food, and places them in the context of developing notions of cookery in the medieval world