Paul Binski. WESTMINISTER ABBEY AND THE PLANTAGENTS: KINGSHIP AND THE
REPRESENTATION OF POWER 1200 - 1400. Yale University Press, 1995, viii,
241 pp. Notes, bibliography, and index.
On July 6, 1245, Henry III commissioned the total rebuilding of the church
of St. Peter at Westminister originally built by Edward the Confessor, whose
shrine lay within its walls. Published in conjunction with the 750th
anniversary of Westminister Abbey is Paul Binski's WESTMINISTER ABBEY AND
THE PLANTAGENETS that focuses on how the Abbey is a reflection of the
Plantagenet kings, especially Henry III, their power, prestige, and
patronage. The religious devotional aspects are overshadowed by the larger
more complex political issues, Westminister is not simply a church but a
"political building" reflecting Henry's affinity to the cult of St. Edward
as well as the "embodiment of various ideologies" that symbolize the
political beliefs and principals of the Plantagenets. Binski takes our
perception of the Abbey beyond being just a place of worship, to its real
purpose, as coronation site for the English monarchy and shrine to the
memory of St. Edward. The author goes into almost minute detail about the
architectural styles, constructions methods, and placement and style of the
various tombs then neatly places all the pieces within their political,
ideological, artistic and spiritual framework. In order to show how the
pieces interconnect, Binski poses various questions drawing on history,
art, political theory, and theology to answer them: who were the architects,
what were their motives? How did the cathedrals at Rheims and St. Denis
influence the style of Westminister? Finally, what really lay behind Henry's
desire to honor St. Edward - personal belief or political expediency?
Given the political uncertainities of the time, the building of a church
served a dual purpose, glorify God while projecting the power of the
Plantagenet kings. The book is divided into six chapters that explore a
specific topic. The first three chapters look at why the Abbey was built,
the cult of St. Edward, and the style and placement of the royal tombs.
How the change from an oral to literate society affected the nature of
government and that the Abbey can be considered the repository of
historical and ritual memory are examined in chapter four. The last two
focus on the religius devotional aspects as a means to denote power and
court patronage and how by 1307 the function of the Abbey as a royal
mausoleuma nd coronation site is firmly established. Another work,
AGE OF OF CHIVALRY: ART IN PLANTAGENET ENGLAND 1200 -1400, edited by
Binski, is an excellent companion to this book and serves as further
illustration of how the Plantagenet kings were the center of political
and religious life, as well as how England and the continent were linked
by religious beliefs, artistic and architectural styles. English gothic
art becomes not just the proverbial country cousin of French gothic but
a vital and creative aspect of it. Binski draws on a wide range of sources
both primary and secondary that run the gamut from the chronicles of
Matthew Paris to Gibbs' COMPLETE PEERAGE, producing a masterful blend of
art, history and architecture that show how the Abbey is a reflection of
the power, prestige, and patronage of the Plantagenet kings. At times, the
narrative gets bogged down in the complex terminology used by architects,
which is where a glossary would help reader unfamiliar with these terms.
Aside from this minor problem, Binski has written an elegent and stunning
work that should be required reading for all students of English history.