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The drama of coronation: medieval ceremony in early modern England

The drama of coronation: medieval ceremony in early modern England
The drama of coronation: medieval ceremony in early modern England
The coronation was, and perhaps still is, one of the most important ceremonies of a monarch’s reign. This book examines the five coronations that took place in England between 1509 and 1559: those of Henry VIII, Anne Bolyen, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. It considers how the sacred rite and its related ceremonies and pageants responded to monarchical and religious change and charts how they were interpreted by contemporary observers. Hunt challenges the popular position that has conflated royal ceremony with political propaganda and argues for a deeper understanding of the symbolic complexity of ceremony. At the heart of the study is an investigation into the vexed issues of legitimacy and representation which leads Hunt to identify the emergence of an important and fruitful exchange between ceremony and drama. This exchange will have significant implications for our understanding both of the period’s theatre and of the cultural effects of the Protestant Reformation. The book will be of great interest to scholars and students of late medieval and early modern history and literature.
drama, coronation ceremony, henry viii, anne boleyn, edward vi, mary i, elizabeth i
9780521885393
Cambridge University Press
Hunt, Alice
cee21a10-a12b-4e52-8d89-2842ab8b4a31
Hunt, Alice
cee21a10-a12b-4e52-8d89-2842ab8b4a31

Hunt, Alice (2008) The drama of coronation: medieval ceremony in early modern England , Cambridge, UK. Cambridge University Press, 242pp.

Record type: Book

Abstract

The coronation was, and perhaps still is, one of the most important ceremonies of a monarch’s reign. This book examines the five coronations that took place in England between 1509 and 1559: those of Henry VIII, Anne Bolyen, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I. It considers how the sacred rite and its related ceremonies and pageants responded to monarchical and religious change and charts how they were interpreted by contemporary observers. Hunt challenges the popular position that has conflated royal ceremony with political propaganda and argues for a deeper understanding of the symbolic complexity of ceremony. At the heart of the study is an investigation into the vexed issues of legitimacy and representation which leads Hunt to identify the emergence of an important and fruitful exchange between ceremony and drama. This exchange will have significant implications for our understanding both of the period’s theatre and of the cultural effects of the Protestant Reformation. The book will be of great interest to scholars and students of late medieval and early modern history and literature.

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More information

Published date: 30 September 2008
Additional Information: Provides new insights into one of the longest-lasting and most important English royal ceremonies: Serves as a useful guide to early Tudor drama and its responses to religious monarchical change: Familiarises readers with other cultural forms of the period, tracing important links between ceremony and theatre
Keywords: drama, coronation ceremony, henry viii, anne boleyn, edward vi, mary i, elizabeth i
Organisations: English

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 63933
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/63933
ISBN: 9780521885393
PURE UUID: 5bf2f4b2-c5e6-45c6-9574-a3171433fa22

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 17 Feb 2009
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 11:45

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