Ten Medieval Studies: with Four Appendices

318 Pages·2010·3.84 MB·English

by  G. G. Coulton

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Ten Medieval Studies
This 1930 edition includes essays from both the first and second series
of Coulton’s Medieval Studies, together with appendices. Although an
academic who stressed the importance of using primary sources, Coulton
was skilled at making medieval history accessible to a wider audience. He
played an important role in encouraging interest in the study of social and
economic history of the Middle Ages among younger scholars. These ten
essays, all on aspects of religion, were somewhat controversial in their day.
Coulton believed that sectarian bias frequently caused a distorted view of
history, and he was highly critical of Roman Catholic interpretations of the
medieval church. In the appendices he gives a detailed critique of Cardinal
Francis Gasquet’s historical writings, listing what Coulton regards as errors
or deliberate falsifications. Even where Coulton himself appears guilty of
bias, his wide knowledge of sources makes his writings still valuable to
modern readers.
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Ten
Medieval Studies
With Four Appendices
G. G. Coulton
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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São Paolo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108010658
© in this compilation Cambridge University Press 2010
This edition first published 1930
This digitally printed version 2010
ISBN 978-1-108-01065-8 Paperback
This book reproduces the text of the original edition. The content and language reflect
the beliefs, practices and terminology of their time, and have not been updated.
Cambridge University Press wishes to make clear that the book, unless originally published
by Cambridge, is not being republished by, in association or collaboration with, or
with the endorsement or approval of, the original publisher or its successors in title.
TEN
MEDIEVAL STUDIES
Cambridge University Press
Fetter Lane, London
New York
Bombay, Calcutta, Madras
Toronto
Macmillan
Tokyo
Maruzen Company, Ltd
All rights reserved
TEN
MEDIEVAL STUDIES
WITH FOUR APPENDICES
BY
G. G. COULTON
LITT.D. CAMB., HON.D.LITT. DURHAM, F.B.A.
Fellow of St John's, and Hon. Fellow of
St Catharine's College, Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE
AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
1930
First Edition (Simpkin, Marshall) 1906
Second Edition „ „ I9I5
Third Edition (Cambridge University Press) 1930
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION (1906)
•"•pHESE essays, mostly reprinted from the Reviews, are
J. intended to defend the moderate Anglican position
against the misrepresentations of writers who disparage
modern civilization in comparison with a purely imaginary
and unhistorical idea of medieval life.
The author attempts to show how much is lost, even
from the purely picturesque point of view, by thus sacri-
ficing plain truth to false sentiment; for we shall never see
the great men of the past in their full greatness until we
realize the difficulties under which they lived and worked.
Although the Studies are necessarily controversial to this
extent, they are written entirely from orthodox pre-Reforma-
tion sources, no others being quoted except here and there
in corroboration of facts already established: since the
curse of Church history is the too frequent habit of writing
from second-hand or partisan documents.
As the plan of these pamphlets renders it impossible to
give a crowd of references which would only weary the
general reader, the author is glad to give a definite guaran-
tee of his good faith by offering four pages in each pamphlet
to any competent critic who will undertake to convict him
of serious error. If his statements are inaccurate, he thus
undertakes to supply their refutation at his own expense.
He has already made a similar offer in vain to many
Romanist controversialists, including all the writers of the
Catholic Truth Society; and he now repeats the offer, in
order to enable the general reader to realize how strongly
Anglicanism is supported on many important points by
the most incontrovertible medieval testimony.