Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Belief and Culture – serie

The distinctive relationship between Stuart England and the Republic of Venice played a vital role in some of the most important developments of the early modern period, including the globalisation of maritime trading empires and the increasing repudiation of papal power. Stuart Serenissima explores this significant moment of heightened exchange between the two states, bringing together – for the first time in a single collection – insights from leading scholars in the fields of cultural history, economic history, musicology, political theory, art history, and literary studies. Across the volume’s nine chapters, the authors make the collective case that the true extent and significance of seventeenth-century Anglo-Venetian relations can only be understood from a multidisciplinary perspective. The collection offers a nuanced account of interactions between subjects of both polities, analysing intra-confessional division as a driver of European politics, illuminating the lesser studied contributions of women and non-elite agents, and highlighting the cultural brokerage of intermediaries who unsettle notions of a purely bilateral Anglo-Venetian rapport. By locating the Anglo-Venetian Seicento within a broader web of transnational and global connections, the authors identify the early modern Mediterranean as a site of consequential imperial experiments and set the agenda for future Anglo-Venetian research.

The century between c. 650 and 750 was one of major religious, social and political transformations in northwest Europe. In the Frankish kingdom, clerics from Ireland and Britain played an important role in these processes. One of the most prominent figures to emerge from this period was Willibrord – a Northumbrian educated in Ireland who became the first bishop of Utrecht and founded the monastery of Echternach in modern Luxembourg. Through his involvement in the Christianisation of Frisia, his cooperation with the eastern Frankish elite, including the ancestors of Charlemagne, and his connection with the pope, Willibrord was at the centre of the developments which led to the formation of a new ecclesiastical and political landscape between the North Sea and Thuringia on the eve of the Carolingian period. This book, which represents the first extensive study of the topic in English, extends its analysis of Willibrord’s career beyond the mission to Frisia and examines the political dimension of his activity in Merovingian Francia and its border regions. By offering a fresh look at the main sources for Willibrord’s life, the book explores how Insular clerics shaped their Frankish environment through the creation of networks between Ireland, Britain and the continent and their ability to take on a variety of different roles within Merovingian society.

Shortlisted for the Royal Historical Society First Book Prize, 2025An Open Access edition is available thanks to the kind sponsorship of the libraries participating in the Jisc Open Access Community Framework OpenUP initiative.Desire and Disunity explores the struggles of Christianising late ancient sexuality in the late Roman West. Through an examination of fourth to sixth century sermons, letters, laws, and treatises in Latin-speaking communities, the difficulties of late antique clerics in moving ascetically influenced sexual ideals into wider practice become evident. Western clerics faced challenges on several fronts: the dedication and devoutness of lay Christians varied, while the military-political upheavals of the fifth century created new challenges and opportunities for influencing one’s flock. Furthermore, Roman sexual norms continued to inform the thinking of many clerics and lay figures alike, even when in opposition to more scripturally based moral reasoning. Problems of bigamy, concubinage, sex work, incest, homosexual acts, adultery, and more troubled western Christian communities, with contradicting rules and traditions on what was acceptable and what was not. What reach did elite clerical perspectives on sexual norms have amongst the non-elite? How did clerics navigate tensions between the idealisation of Christian communal purity and the actions of congregants that fell short of these ideals? What influenced clerical perceptions of sex and how did they articulate these ideas to their audiences? Clerical sources of this time reflect these challenges as well as varying church attempts to reform the sex lives of their congregants – and, indeed, church failure in doing so.