By the late twelfth century the power of kingship on both sides of the Channel had become a dynamic force in a society vibrant with change. Capetian and Angevin monarchs increased their power, and royal systems of law broadened their outreach into society. Royal governance and law, no less than socio-economic and demographic change, the eruptions of popular piety, the growth of vernacular literatures, the rise of universities, both shaped and reflected High Medieval Europe. ... Finding adequate sources involves us in difficulties, since we lack the copious pamphlets, letters, diaries – to say nothing of the newspapers – available to our modern colleagues. Yet High Medieval literature can (if read carefully) open chinks in the wall that seems to separate us from our medieval past. Vernacular stories told about Reynard the Fox (written in Old French) provide just such a vantage point. - [Author]

Language: English

ISBN: 978-90-04-28048-9; DOI: 10.1163/9789004302655_010