From England to France: Felony and Exile in the High Middle Ages

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At the height of the Middle Ages, a peculiar system of perpetual exile--or abjuration--flourished in western Europe. It was a judicial form of exile, not political or religious, and it was meted out to felons for crimes deserving of severe corporal punishment or death. From England to France explores the lives of these men and women who were condem

Reviews

"[A] fascinating study ... The vivid detail conjured out of the records and the author's general mastery of so many aspects of medieval law and culture make it a revealing and compelling model of history 'from below'."--Mark Ormrod, History Today "[T]he author writes with sparkle and humor."--Choice "[A] compelling study... This book is a rare treat in all its travels."--Sean L. Field, Speculum "Very few scholars who have dealt with abjurers have tried to imagine what happened to them once they passed out of the kingdom. Jordan, with his rich knowledge of French social and economic history, does a very good job of sketching what their fates might have been."--James Given, American Historical Review "Jordan writes elegantly and engagingly... One is never lost. He talks to his readers in an intimate style and guides them through the subject with real skill. This book should be required corrective reading for all those who would subscribe to the 'Merrie England' school of history. It will bring that reader up short."--Stephen Church, Catholic Historical Review "An enlightening account of one of the most marginalized groups in medieval society: felons who avoided execution by adjuring the English realm... A wonderful contribution both to the problem of marginalization and difference in the Middle Ages, and to our understanding of the causes and consequences of medieval mobility."--Sharon Farmer, H-France Review "This book is an enjoyable read and puts forward some provocative new arguments on a topic that has been neglected but is beginning to attract scholarly attention."--Margaret McGlynn, Canadian Journal of History

Author Bio

William Chester Jordan is the Dayton-Stockton Professor of History at Princeton University. His books include A Tale of Two Monasteries: Westminster and Saint-Denis in the Thirteenth Century and Unceasing Strife, Unending Fear: Jacques de Therines and the Freedom of the Church in the Age of the Last Capetians (both Princeton).