Dixon-Smith, Sally Angharad; (2003) Feeding the poor to commemorate the dead: The pro anima almsgiving of Henry III of England 1227-72. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D.), University College London (United Kingdom).

Preview

Text Feeding_the_poor_to_commemorat.pdf Download (9MB) | Preview

Abstract

Henry III regularly fed thousands of poor for the souls of the dead to commemorate a whole range of individuals: holy ancestors, immediate family, Savoyard and Lusignan inlaws and fallen yeoman soldiers. My research investigates the vast wealth of English chancery records, and the details it gives of pro anima practices, in the light of German writing on the phenomenon of memoria. (liturgical commemoration of the dead). Caring for and honouring the dead was a continuation of the bonds of loyalty, reward and gift-exchange which bound individuals in life. Good kingship was epitomised by the virtue of largesse, and almsgiving was an extension of this culture of generosity and reciprocity. The primary aim of pro anima acts was to reunite the living and the dead, making them once again present to each other as members of one spiritual community in Christ. Henry III used both masses and the feeding of the poor to achieve this mystical link across the grave. Christ was believed to be present in the poor, just as in the hagiography of the saint-king Edward the Confessor, St John appeared to him as a poor pilgrim seeking alms. In feeding the poor, the rich nourished the body of Christ: hence almsgiving can be seen as an extension of Henry's eucharistic devotion. Almsgiving also 'harvested' prayers for the dead individual, as the poor were expected to pray in exchange for their meal. This thesis discusses the theology behind pro anima feeding, how it was organised (for instance when Henry III fed 102,000 poor for the soul of his sister), and an analysis of who was remembered in this way. Henry III used a combination of liturgical rite and extended domestic hospitality to strengthen and re-affirm kinship ties and social bonds with the dead who were important to him.

Download activity - last month

Export as CSVJSONXML

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as JSONCSVXML

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as CSVJSONXML

Archive Staff Only

View Item