medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Discussion of today's Coronation ceremony is very much relevant to our
period. I have read that the current ceremony is ultimately derived from
that prepared by Ethelwold, reforming monk-bishop of Winchester, for King
Edgar of England in the late c10. The text and (I seem to recall, was it in
David Knowles history of English monasticism?) earlier drafts of it survive,
and go out of their way to link the anointment of the monarch with the
anointment of priesthood; Edgar was even crowned at the canonical age for
entering the priesthood. So in England at least the sacred nature of
kingship and the necessity for it to be conferred by someone of episcopal
status go back a very long way indeed.
Jon Cannon
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