Survival and Success on Medieval Borders

Cistercian Houses in Medieval Scotland and Pomerania from the Twelfth to the Late Fourteenth Century

By (author) Emilia Jamroziak

Book cover: Survival and Success on Medieval Borders

Extent: 231, 231 pages

Publisher: Brepols Publishers

Subjects: Religious Studies

Series: Medieval Texts and Cultures of Northern Europe

Series volume number: 24

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(November 2011)

ISBN: 9782503533070

Price: $107.00

In stock

This comparative study analyses Cistercian strategies on the northern and north-eastern frontiers of medieval Europe. Through case studies of six houses in Pomerania and Neumark (Ko?bacz, Marienwalde, and Himmelstadt) and on the Scottish-English border (Melrose, Dundrennan, and Holm Cultram), the author traces the development of social networks around these monasteries within their own regions and across borders, and explores the importance of the international Cistercian networks for communities located in these politically sensitive areas. Very different socio-economic conditions in the regions under discussion resulted in quite different strategies of land accumulation by Cistercian monasteries in Scotland and Pomerania, which in turn had a lasting impact on their relationships with their neighbours. The author also examines the role of these abbeys in wider ecclesiastical politics and in relation to the key issues of the time: church reform and the expectations of the order’s lay patrons and benefactors. In the fourteenth century, all of the abbeys experienced war, violence, and long-term instability. Their responses to these threats and difficulties are significant for our understanding of monastic strategies in hostile environments. Above all, this study shows how a Cistercian model was adapted to fit the complex political, cultural, and ethnic contexts of the southern Baltic, Northern England, and Scotland.

  • By (author) Emilia Jamroziak