Sean L. Field

Courting Sanctity is a study both of six women—Isabelle of France, Douceline of Digne, Elizabeth of Spalbeek, Paupertas of Metz, Marguerite Porete and Margueronne of Bellevillette—who lived between roughly 1260 and 1330, but also of how the Capetian monarchs used these women to position themselves as uniquely chosen by God to rule. Initially these women were used to help in the consolidation of royal authority but later rulers made scapegoats out of them. Sean Field writes strongly and show more with remarkable clarity given the complexity of the topic and the often fragmentary nature of the source material. Absolutely recommended for anyone working in the field.

I applaud Cornell University Press’s ongoing commitment to the footnote rather than the endnote. show less

In this book, Sean Field provides a very useful edition of the Rules of Isabelle of France—the pious sister of Louis IX of France who founded a house of Franciscan women at Longchamp. Field provides an introductory essay which attempts to untangle the complicated manuscript tradition of the texts, and then gives a facing page translation of the Rules of 1259 and 1263. Field's translation is clear and easy to follow, and allows for comparison of what was added or subtracted between the show more first version of the Rule and the second. This will be a very suitable text for use in the undergraduate classroom. show less