Aelred the Peacemaker

Jean Truax has a PhD in medieval history; she is an independent scholar and author of Ralph d’Escures, William of Corbeil and Theobald of Bec: Heirs of Anselm and Ancestors of Becket, and Aelred the Peacemaker: The Public Life of a Cistercian Abbot.

• ContentsList of Abbreviations   ixAcknowledgments   xiiiChapter 1 Introduction: The Three Lives of Aelred of Rievaulx   1Chapter 2 Precedents: In the Footsteps of Saint Bernard   14Chapter 3 Son of the North: Aelred in Context   34Chapter 4 Friends and Rivals: Aelred and His Neighbors   64Chapter 5 Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Aelred and the Care of Women   96Chapter 6 A Time for Peace: Aelred of Rievaulx and the End of the Anglo-Norman Civil War   130Chapter 7 Behind the Scenes: Aelred of Rievaulx, the Lords of Galloway, and the Kings of Scotland   149Chapter 8 Trusted Counselor: Aelred of Rievaulx and King Henry II   172Chapter 9 The Wrong Side of History: Aelred, Rievaulx, and Thomas Becket   194Chapter 10 Conclusion: Aelred of Rievaulx: Politician and Peacemaker   223Appendix 1 Chronological Table   236Appendix 2 Abbot Aelred of Rievaulx’s Letter to Gilbert, Venerable Bishop of London   242Translated by R. Jacob McDonieAppendix 3 Aelred’s Homily for the Feast of Saint Katherine of Alexandria   250Translated by Marie Anne MayeskiAppendix 4 Sermon for the Translation of the Relics of Edward the Confessor   260Translated by Tom LicenceAppendix 5 A Letter from Rievaulx to Archbishop Thomas Becket   274Translated by Jean TruaxBibliography   282Index313

"This meticulously researched, thoroughly documented study describes fully for the first time Aelred of Rievaulx's political 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 advisory roles to two kings, Scotland's David I and England's Henry II. Uniquely, she uncovers his friendships for and support of cloistered women, which he saw as equal to monks, and his opposition to Archbishop Thomas Becket, which shaped Aelred's posthumous reputation. This important new perspective enriches the massive scholarship on Aelred."Sally N. Vaughn, PhD, Professor, Department of History, University of Houston