1st Edition

Madness, Medicine and Miracle in Twelfth-Century England

By Claire Trenery Copyright 2019
196 Pages
by Routledge

196 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

196 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book explores how madness was defined and diagnosed as a condition of the mind in the Middle Ages and what effects it was thought to have on the bodies, minds and souls of sufferers. Madness is examined through narratives of miraculous punishment and healing that were recorded at the shrines of saints. This study focuses on the twelfth century, which has been identified as a ‘Medieval... Read more

List of tables



Acknowledgements



List of abbreviations



Introduction







  1. Protection and punishment in the miracles of Saint Edmund the Martyr at Bury








  2. Managing the mad: violence, cruelty and restraint in the miracles of William of Norwich






  3. Medical madness? Diagnosing the mad in the miracles of Saint Thomas Becket








  4. Demonic disturbances in the miracles of Saint Bartholomew in London






  5. Balance and health: restoring sanity in the miracles of Saint Hugh of Lincoln




Conclusion



Index

Biography

Claire Trenery completed her PhD at Royal Holloway, University of London in 2017. She specialises in the history of madness and medicine, focusing on the twelfth century and the cultural and intellectual climate that accompanied the development of Scholastic learning in Western Europe. She has published articles on medieval madness, with particular attention to the impact of madness on the bodies, minds and souls of sufferers.

"The author deserves high credit for her excellent analysis of those accounts about mad people and their miraculous healing through the various saints. She carries out close readings of the miracle tales and produces convincing results." - Albrecht Classen, Sehepunkte

"Trenery is also excellent on the language of madness across this period, and its nuances and complexities." - Simon Jarrett (Birkbeck College, University of London)