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Sites and sanctity: revisiting the cult of murdered and martyred Anglo‐Saxon royal saints
Author(s) -
Cubitt Catherine
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
early medieval europe
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.1
H-Index - 24
eISSN - 1468-0254
pISSN - 0963-9462
DOI - 10.1111/1468-0254.00059
Subject(s) - martyr , cult , interpretation (philosophy) , politics , history , anglo saxon , ancient history , classics , religious studies , law , philosophy , archaeology , political science , linguistics
The cults of the murdered and martyred royal saints of Anglo‐Saxon England have been interpreted as political in origin and this view has received widespread acceptance. This article, which discusses the cults of the kings, Oswald, Oswiu and Edwin of Northumbria, and Edward the Martyr and those of the princes, Kenelm of Mercia and Æthelred and Æthelberht of Kent, puts forward a new interpretation, suggesting that their cults originated in lay and non‐élite devotion to the innocent victims of unjust and violent death, before being taken up for political and other purposes. It addresses the problem of popular religion in Anglo‐Saxon England and seeks to show how these cults may be used to shed light on the beliefs of the ordinary Anglo‐Saxon laity.