John Damon wrote...
In general, native English soldier saints are of two types: soldiers
who laid gave up their martial role in favor of the spiritual life (generally
following the model of Martin of Tours) and soldiers who died in battle
fighting against pagan invaders.
The latter group, made up exclusively of kings (Edwin and Oswald are
its two main representatives), is regarded by many scholars as England's
unique contribution to hagiography. England also produced one hybrid figure,
Edmund of East Anglia, who resembles the earlier martyred warrior-kings except
that, according to the _Vita_ by Abbo of Fleury, he laid down his weapons in
imitation of Christ before being martyred. Edwin and Oswald died with sword
in hand.
I don't believe you can understand English sainthood in the Anglo Saxon
period without looking at the wider political picture. Religion and State
were very much intertwined and was probably seen as a legitimate extension of
the political process. An example of this would be the way that the Mercian
kings exercised great influence over the church council meetings - the most
blatant example of this was the way that Offa engineered the creation of the
Archbishopric of Lichfield.
Many of the saints or significant religious figures of the time were also
connected with the ruling families. The kings mentioned are some examples but
others would surely include St. Wilfred, St. Guthlac and St. Wystan (This is
not an exhaustive list !!).
To conclude, whilst the development of the roman Christian church in England
was an important aspect of the English development it cannot be separated from
the need of the state. The Mercian kings certainly saw a political advantage
in ensuring that their kin's man were seen to be representative of a higher
authority. Without this understanding it would be more difficult to
understand how such people became 'Saints.'
Simon Marchini
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