Dear John,
An excellent introduction to the subject of 'military' saints is Frantisek
Graus, "Die Gewalt bei den Anfangen des Feudalismus und die
'Gefangenenbefreiungen' der merowingischen Hagiographie," Jahrbuch fur
Wirtschaftsgeschichte, 1 (1960), 61-156. Of course the vast majority of
saints who assisted persons in distress in wartime had not themselves been
soldiers, such as Sts. Foy, Martial, Leonard, etc. I have myself been recently
looking into miracles of escape during wartime in the thirteenth and
fourteenth century, focusing on the kinds of social history which can be
found in such miracles: the geographical origins of the victims, the military
ranks noted in the sources, the size of the ransoms, the kinds of prisons,
fortresses etc in which they were held, and have found that such material
can be a rich source for military history.
Michael Goodich
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MICHAEL GOODICH, DEPT. OF HISTORY
UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA MOUNT CARMEL HAIFA, ISRAEL 31905
TEL: 972-4-8246091 (H)/ 972-4-8240359 (O)/ FAX:972-4-8249155
E-MAIL: [log in to unmask] (INTERNET)
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