Fresh insights into the development of the tournament as an opportunity for social display.

"First published hardback 1989"--T.p. verso.

This book is a historical study of the tournament, the iconic medieval spectacle of knights jousting in combat. It covers the origins, development, and decline of the tournament, and offers insights into the social and cultural history of the Middle Ages. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Based on close reading of original sources, Fallows (Spanish, U. of Georgia) offers a detailed reconstruction of the history and practice of jousting, detailing techniques and injuries, styles of fighting, and all the parts of the arms and armor used, with frequent citing of original descriptions. As is typical for this publisher, the volume is beautifully produced, printed on good stock and well-illustrated with color and b&w plates. Notable is the inclusion of three 15th- and 16th-century jousting manuals, presented in full in side-by-side English and Spanish translation. A glossary and bibliography are provided. The Boydell Press is an imprint of Boydell & Brewer. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

How was statecraft performed five centuries ago? Louise Fradenburg explores the evolution of arts of rule in Scotland under the reigns of James III and James IV, revealing the broad spectacle of a late medieval court on the brink of the Renaissance.

This volume explores the various strategies by which appropriate pasts were construed in scholarship, literature, art, and architecture in order to create “national”, regional, or local identities in late medieval and early modern Europe. Because authority was based on lineage, political and territorial claims were underpinned by historical arguments, either true or otherwise. Literature, scholarship, art, and architecture were pivotal media that were used to give evidence of the impressive old lineage of states, regions, or families. These claims were related not only to classical antiquity but also to other periods that were regarded as antiquities, such as the Middle Ages, especially the chivalric age. The authors of this volume analyse these intriguing early modern constructions of “antiquity” and investigate the ways in which they were applied in political, intellectual and artistic contexts in the period of 1400–1700. Contributors include: Barbara Arciszewska, Bianca De Divitiis, Karl Enenkel, Hubertus Günther, Thomas Haye, Harald Hendrix, Stephan Hoppe, Marc Laureys, Frédérique Lemerle, Coen Maas, Anne-Françoise Morel, Kristoffer Neville, Konrad Ottenheym, Yves Pauwels, Christian Peters, Christoph Pieper, David Rijser, Bernd Roling, Nuno Senos, Paul Smith, Pieter Vlaardingerbroek, and Matthew Walker.

Explores the medieval institution of the tournament, from its origins as a form of training for knights to its development as an aristocratic spectacle.