H.
R. Loyn.
The English Church 940-1154.
Harlow:
Longman/Pearson
Education, 2000.
The
Medieval World series.
x,174pp.
Publisher's
recommended price
Hardback ISBN
0-582-30288-9, £55.00
Paperback 0582303036, £15.99
This is
a history
of the church - the central institution of medieval society - in
England
from the late Anglo-Saxon period through the Norman Conquest and across
the Anglo-Norman period.
Opening
with the
pre-1066 period, throwing emphasis on the great monastic revival and
its
effect on the use of teaching, the book then concentrates on the
Conquest,
the evidence of the Domesday book and the life of the Church under
William's
sons and grandson. While exploring both the worldly influence of the
great
bishops and spiritual dimensions and, in a conclusion, ritual, belief
and
doctrine in a colourful and clear account, the text also examines the
Church
relative to: European relations; The law; Finance and economics;
Culture;
Literacy; The state.
It
thus present
a unique account of the multi-faceted significance of the church,
structured
around the themes of continuity, change and individual distinctiveness
and provides a commentary on the formation of England over three
politically
turbulent and dramatic centuries.
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