Bones of Contention: The Improbable History of the Remains of Saint Edmund

This monograph concerns two intertwined histories. The first concerns the earthly remains of Edmund, King of East Anglia (c. 841- 869) and the second the earthly remains of three Dominican friars who were assassinated in the Languedoc in 1242. In the world of medieval Catholicism, both were seen as saints and martyrs, and their remains were believed to be powerful miracle-working holy relics. By a series of improbable events these remains appear to have been mixed up in a church in Toulouse, and to have ended up in an English ducal castle. This book unravels the two extraordinary histories and reveals surprising aspects of England and France over more than a millennium.