Bishop Thelwold, His Followers, and Saints' Cults in Early Medieval England: Power, Belief, and Religious Reform Hudson Alison

Bishop thelwold of Winchester and his associates were some of the most radical monastic reformers in tenth-century Europe. They also had a major impact on the early development of the kingdom itself, taking a role in the establishment of a shire system that lasted a thousand years, negotiations with invaders, and attempts to create a standardized English language. In two generations, they took over most of the powerful churches in the kingdom of England and implemented a number of the policies found in their ambitious monastic manifestos.

This book examines a range of sources, from hagiographies to charters, from liturgy to archaeological remains, to argue that saints' cults helped these men and women secure their power, wealth, and relationships with groups outside their monasteries. thelwold and his circle were also enthusiastic venerators of saints. The saints that thelwold's