EBOOK
Aelred the Peacemaker
The Public Life of a Cistercian Abbot
Jean Truax, Ph.D.Series: Cistercian Studies(0)
About
In addition to being a prolific spiritual writer and the abbot of the premier Cistercian monastery in northern England, Aelred of Rievaulx somehow found the time and the stamina to travel extensively throughout the Anglo-Norman realm, acting as a mediator, a problem solver, and an adviser to kings. His career spanned the troubled years of the civil war between King Stephen and the Empress Matilda and reached its zenith during the early years of the reign of Henry II. In this work, Jean Truax focuses on the public career of Aelred of Rievaulx, placing him in his historical context, deepening the reader's understanding of his work, and casting additional light on his underappreciated role as politician, mediator, and negotiator outside his abbey's walls.
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Reviews
"Aelred is eminent for his monastic teaching and spiritual doctrine on friendship. Presenting Aelred as politican and peacemaker, this book offers a brilliant perspective into a previously neglected feature in the life of the most distinguished abbot of Rievaulx. Jean Truax has accomplished a mammoth service by organizing an incredible amount of resources so as to create and evaluate the influenti
Abbot Thomas X. Davis, OCSO, Abbey of New Clairvaux
"This meticulously researched, thorougly documented study describes fully for the first time Aelred of Rievaulx's poltical career. Most scholars focus on Aelred's spirituality, friendships, or monasticism. Truax reconstructs his patronage networks that financially supported his abbey and ensured its survival during the anarchy of Stephen's reign, his influence on neighboring Celtic rulers, and his
Sally N. Vaughn, Ph.D., Professor, Department of History, U of Houston
"With an abundance of well-documented detail, Jean Truax portrays Aelred as a man of exceptional energy, who remained actively engaged in monastic and public affairs up to the end of his life. By sticking to the historical record and avoiding sterile discussions of Aelred's personality or motivations, she brings out the rich texture of the abbot's life within the context of Rievaulx, the wider chu
Elias Dietz, OCSO, Abbey of Gethsemani
Extended Details
- SeriesCistercian Studies #251