Isabelle of France: Capetian Sanctity and Franciscan Identity in the Thirteenth Century (ND Texts Medieval Culture) [Paperback]

Sean L. Field (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2006 | Series: ND Texts Medieval Culture

As the only daughter of Blanche of Castile, one of France's most powerful queens, and as the sister of the Capetian saint Louis IX, Isabelle of France (1225-1270) was situated at the nexus of sanctity and power during a significant era of French culture and medieval history. In this ground-breaking examination of Isabelle's career, Sean Field uses a wealth of previously unstudied material to address significant issues in medieval religious history, including the possibilities for women's religious authority, the creation and impact of royal sanctity, and the relationship between men and women within the mendicant orders.

Field reinterprets Isabelle's career as a Capetian princess. Isabelle was remarkable for choosing a life of holy virginity and for founding and co-authoring a rule for the Franciscan abbey of Longchamp. Isabelle did not become a nun there, but remained a powerful lay patron, living in a modest residence on the abbey grounds. Field maintains that Isabelle was a key actor in creating the aura of sanctity that surrounded the French royal family in the thirteenth century, underscoring the link between the growth of Capetian prestige and power and the idea of a divinely ordained, virtuous, and holy royal family. Her contemporary reputation for sanctity emerges from a careful analysis of the Life of Isabelle of France written by the third abbess of Longchamp, Agnes of Harcourt, and from papal bulls, letters, and other contemporary sources that have only recently come to light.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Sean Field's Isabelle of France is an important addition to our understanding of medieval sanctity, especially royal sanctity and the Capetian dynasty, as well as lay participation and leadership in religious life in the medieval church." —Darleen Pryds, Franciscan School of Theology, Graduate Theological Union

"Beautifully written, based on meticulous and probing analysis of the sources, Sean Field's admirable study of Isabelle of France, the holy sister of France's saint-king Louis IX, illuminates not only the woman herself but also the fascinating and complex world in which she lived." —Elizabeth A.R. Brown, Professor Emerita of History, The City University of New York:

"In this book Sean Field has done a remarkable job in reconstructing the life of Isabelle, the sister of France's saintly king, Louis IX. He has also explored in considerable depth and with great insight the process of making a saint in later medieval France. This is a first-rate study, one written with admirable economy and a judicious sensitivity to the complexities of the sources." —William Chester Jordan, Dayton-Stockton Professor of History, Princeton University

"Daughter of the king of France, sister of Saint Louis, sought after by the Emperor Frederick II who wished her to marry his son—Isabelle of France had every opportunity for worldly fame. But she turned her back on marriage and honors, and, out of Franciscan humility, chose to retire among the Soeurs mineures of Longchamp, seemingly slipping out of history and into the long shadows of obscurity. Sean L. Field brings Isabelle of France back into the light and at last does justice to her daring. Compact and lively, always lucid, his book demonstrates the remarkable nature of this woman who, a century after Heloise and a few years after Clare of Assisi, was among the very few to contribute to the composition of a rule of life for her sisters. The work of Sean L. Field is not only fascinating but valuable." —Jacques Dalarun, senior researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris

About the Author

SEAN L. FIELD is assistant professor of history, University of Vermont.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: University of Notre Dame Press (October 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026802880X
• ISBN-13: 978-0268028800
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,416,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars French Feminism!, September 13, 2010

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Scott Minor (Dover, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Isabelle of France: Capetian Sanctity and Franciscan Identity in the Thirteenth Century (ND Texts Medieval Culture) (Paperback)

Professor Field has done it again! Extending beyond Agnes of Harcourt, and thrusting readers into an examination of Isabelle of France and her long journey in establishing Longchamp and its legacy, Prof. Field examines numerous relevant texts and adds his own observations and conclusions as to how Isabelle rose beyond standard royal fame, to one of high religious standing. Her efforts to establish the abbey, her desire to create a holy residence, while walking a potential political tightrope allows us to see early feminism in action. I enjoy how Prof. Field uses the texts of the time to establish his arguments and allow the reader to follow his train of thought quite plainly. While a knowledge of thirteenth century French history is an asset when reading this work, it is not a necessity. Prof. Field takes the time to lay out his evidence, and draw a conclusion that is easy to comprehend. I look forward to Prof. Field's next literary work!