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The first full biography in English of Abbot Suger (1081-1151) which uses literary, architectural and historical evidence to reassess one of the key figures of the twelfth century. Suger was active in both secular and religious affairs: he was Regent of France and he was Abbot of one of the most important abbeys in Europe during the time of the Gregorian reforms. He was also the writer of major works of history and politics which have shaped our understanding of the times, and a leading patron of the arts whose commissions included the first buildings in the new Gothic style. Lindy Grant reviews him in all these roles - and in doing so opens up a window on the twelfth-century world in all its vigour and complexity.
List of contents
PART ONE: SETTING THE SCENE. 1. Interpreting Suger. 2. Reading Between the Lines. 3. Low Horizons: The Political and Religious Landscape of Capetian France Around 1100.PART TWO: ACTIVE LIFE. 4. Youth and Education. 5. The Young Politician 1106-1122. 6. The Abbot as Politician 1122-1137. 7. The Abbot as Politician 1137-mid-1140s.8. The Regent 1147-1149. PART THREE: THE ABBOT'S LIFE. 9. Pastor of his Flock. 10. Guardian of Abbey Property.11. The Patron. PART FOUR: DRAWING THE CURTAIN. 12. The Final Years 1149-1151. 13. Broad Horizons: The Political and Religious Landscape of Capetian France around 1150.
About the author
Lindy Grant, David Bates
