ABSTRACT

Samuel Fanous and Henrietta Leyser present a vivid interdisciplinary study devoted to the life, work and extant vita of Christina of Markyate, which draws on research from a wide range of disciplines.

This fascinating and comprehensive collection surveys the life of an extraordinary medieval woman. Christina of Markyate made a vow of chastity at an early age, against the wishes of her parents who intended her to marry. When forced into wedlock, she fled in disguise and went into hiding, receiving refuge in a network of hermitages. Christina became a religious recluse and eventually founded a priory of nuns attached to St. Albans.

Beautifully illustrated, this book provides students who regularly encounter Christina with a research compendium from which to begin their studies, and introduces Christina to a wider audience.

chapter 1|11 pages

Christina of Markyate: the introduction

ByHENRIET TA LEYSER

chapter 2|13 pages

Christina of Markyate: the literary background

ByDOUGLAS G R AY

chapter 3|28 pages

St Albans and women’s monasticism: lives and their foundations in Christina’s world

BySTEPHANIE HOLLIS AND JOCE LY N WO GAN - B ROW N E

chapter 4|26 pages

CHRISTINA OF MARKYATE AND THE DOUBLE CROWN

BySAMUEL FA NOUS

chapter 6|17 pages

THE LOVES OF CHRISTINA OF MARKYATE

ByC . STEPHEN JA EGER

chapter 7|22 pages

THE MARRIAGES OF CHRISTINA OF MARKYATE

ByTHOMAS HEAD

chapter 12|20 pages

The St Albans Psalter: the abbot and the anchoress

ByJA N E GEDDES