Overview

A full and comprehensive survey of the development of the Cistercian Order which emerged from the tumultuous intellectual and religious fervour of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The Cistercians (White Monks) were the most successful monastic experiment to emerge from the tumultuous intellectual and religious fervour of the eleventh and twelfth centuries. By around 1150 they had established houses the length and breadth of Western Christendom and were internationally renowned. They sought to return to a simple form of monastic life, as set down in the Rule of St Benedict, and preferred rural locations ""far from the haunts of men"".But, as recent research has shown, they were by no means isolated from society but influenced, and were influenced by, the world around them; they moved with the times. This book seeks to explore the phenomenon that was the Cistercian Order, drawing on recent research from various disciplines to consider what it was that made the Cistercians distinctive and how they responded to developments. The book addresses current debates regarding the origins and evolution of the Order; discusses the key primary sources for knowledge; and covers architecture, administration, daily life, spirituality, the economy and the monks' ties with the world. Professor Janet Burton teaches at the School of Archaeology, History and Anthropology, University of Wales Trinity Saint David; Dr Julie Kerr is Honorary Research Fellow in the School of History, University of St Andrews.

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9781843836674

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Reviews

This is an excellent introduction.providing a well-balanced and easily accessible overview. It is recommended to anyone interested in monastic or medieval history. H-FRANCE REVIEW, vol. 13, no. 97BR> A treasure trove of detailed information. CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW (The authors) are due the thanks of all interested in medieval monastic life for this fine addition to the literature on one of its most important manifestations. AMERICAN BENEDICTINE REVIEW It will serve undergraduates in the area of Cistercian studies as an introduction to the riches of the primary sources and as a pointer to debates in academic literature. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW An interesting and well-argued book. JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY A much needed introduction. (It offers) a detailed and readable account of the Cistercians' origins and an analysis of the distinctiveness of the medieval Cistercians' way of life. THE MEDIEVAL REVIEW Concise yet comprehensive (...) this book deserves to become a standard introductory work for anyone intent on serious Cistercian studies. NORHERN HISTORY An impressive work of seminal scholarship. MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW An engaging and authoritative history of the Cistercian order from its origins to the end of the Middle Ages. This volume, a further contribution to Boydell's excellent Monastic Orders series, is a wide-ranging, Europe-wide history of the Cistercians, considering them in the religious, cultural, political and economic contexts of their world and time. REVIEWS IN HISTORY For those who teach religious orders or church history, this is must have. (...) It provides a wider understanding of the Cistercian Order and how they interacted with the world as well as a firm basis of their organisation and life in general. H-WRBI A valuable contribution to Cistercian history. Recommended. CHOICE

A valuable contribution to Cistercian history. Recommended. CHOICE

An engaging and authoritative history of the Cistercian order from its origins to the end of the Middle Ages. This volume, a further contribution to Boydell's excellent Monastic Orders series, is a wide-ranging, Europe-wide history of the Cistercians, considering them in the religious, cultural, political and economic contexts of their world and time. REVIEWS IN HISTORY For those who teach religious orders or church history, this is must have. (...) It provides a wider understanding of the Cistercian Order and how they interacted with the world as well as a firm basis of their organisation and life in general. H-WRBI A valuable contribution to Cistercian history. Recommended. CHOICE

Author Information

Janet Burton is Professor of Medieval History at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter and the author of many books and articles on monastic history.

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