The Crowne of Conqueste: Political Overtones and the Manufacturing of Late-Medieval English Kingship in a Devotional Manuscript
The Fifteen Oes of St. Bridget is perhaps one of the most popular devotional texts in late-medieval England written in the vernacular. The Oes venerate the Passion of Jesus through repetitious and vivid language that describes his torments upon the Cross in connection to the redemption of humankind. They are named after the exclamation “O, Ihesu” beginning each of the fifteen prayers. Though composed in the fourteenth century, the text continued to enjoy prevalent readership throughout the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, despite England’s break with the Church of Rome in 1536. The prayer is a representative focal point of private devotional piety, worship during the Mass, community cohesion, and sometimes even political legitimacy. Culturally relevant texts with multifaceted layers like the Oes offered the opportunity for smoother transfers of power during upheaval. The English monarchy went through several turbulent usurpations during the fifteenth century, commonly known as the Wars of the Roses (1399-1509). During periods of increasing political tension, the laity continued with their ritualistic devotional piety and prayer, which in turn mollified (at least to some degree) political instability. The Order of St. Bridget achieved great popularity, enjoying the patronage of several kings, both of the rival Houses of Lancaster and of York.
It is my objective to explore how fifteenth-century political thought and connections to Yorkist King Edward IV’s legitimacy are expressed in a rare version of the Fifteen Oes of St. Bridget contained in a prayer roll housed at Columbia’s Rare Book and Manuscript Library. The text is rife with politically charged language, symbolic references, and affective qualities that are connected to late-fifteenth-century English political and dynastic affiliations. I place emphasis on the communal aspects of lay devotion as a means of demonstrating the socially cohesive nature of the Oes during times of political strain and conflict.
