The Sepulchre of Christ and the Medieval West From the Beginning to 1600 [Hardcover]

The tomb of Christ at Jerusalem was a vital influence in the making of Western Europe. Pilgrimage there influenced the development of society and its structures. The desire to bring the Sepulchre to the West in copies or memorials shaped art and religion, while the ambition to control Christ's tomb was a central objective of the crusades. Western Europe responded to the loss of Jerusalem by creating a new pilgrimage to the East, by making kingdoms holy lands for their subjects, and by creating new pilgrim centers at home. This book brings together social, political, and religious themes often considered in isolation.

1. Beginnings, to 325
2. Consequences of Constantine, 325-350
3. Dissemination: The Spread of Interest in Western Europe, 350-600
4. The Frankish Kingdoms and the Carolingians, 600-1000
5. Towards the First Crusade
6. Latin Jerusalem, 1099-1187
7. Christendom Refashioned
8. Failure and Endeavour
9. The Great Pilgrimage in the Late Middle Ages, 1291-1530
10. Sepulchres and Calvaries in the West, 1291-1530
11. The End of the Pilgrimage, 1530-1630

Colin Morrisis Emeritus Professor of Medieval History, Southampton University, and Emeritus Fellow, Pembroke College, Oxford.