Albina and Her Sisters: The Foundation of Albion - Image 1

£71.35

About as cheap as it gets — within 5% of the all-time low it hit 1 month ago.

£71 today · all-time low £71 (Sep 2026) · usually £72

Cambria Press Albina and Her Sisters: The Foundation of Albion

Name: Albina and Her Sisters: The Foundation of Albion
Brand: Cambria Press
Price: 71.35 GBP
Availability: InStock

Medieval

Price Distribution

Price distribution over 82 days • 3 price levels

Days at Price

Current Price

Price Analysis

Most common price: £71 (49 days, 59.8%)

Price range: £71 - £81

Price levels: 3 different prices over 82 days

Description

Many cultures, including Greeks, Romans, French, and British, have taken great pride in legends that recount the foundation of their society. This book demonstrates the contexts in which a medieval British matriarchal legend, the Albina narrative, was paired over time with a patriarchal narrative, which was already widely disseminated, leading to the attribution of British origins to the warrior Brutus. By the close of the Middle Ages, the Albina tale had appeared in multiple versions in French, Latin, English, Welsh, and Dutch. This study investigates the classical roots of the narrative and the ways it was manipulated in the Middle Ages to function as a national foundation legend. Of especial interest are the dynamic qualities of the text: how it was adapted over the span of two centuries to meet the changing needs of medieval writers and audiences. The currency in the Middle Ages of the Albina narrative is attested to by its inclusion in nearly all the extant manuscripts of the Middle English Prose Brut, many of the French and Latin Bruts, and in a variety of other chronicles and romances. In total, there are over 230 manuscripts surviving today that contain versions of the Albina tale. Despite this, however, relatively little modern scholarship has focused on this widely disseminated and adapted legend. This book provides the first-ever overview of the entire Albina tradition, from its roots to its eventual demise as a popularly accepted narrative. The Classical basis of the narrative in the Hypermnestra story and the ways it was manipulated in the medieval era to function as a national foundation legend are considered. Folkloric, biblical, and legal influences on the development of the tradition are addressed. The tale is viewed through a variety of lenses to suggest ways it may have functioned or was put to use in the Middle Ages. The study concludes with an overview of the narrative's demise in the Renaissance. This is a useful reference source for medievalists and other scholars interested in chronicle studies, literature, folklore, foundation narratives, manuscript studies, and historiography. It will also be useful to art historians who wish to study the various depictions of the Albina narrative in illuminated texts. The tale's emphasis on matriarchy and its subversion of the accepted societal norm will attract the interest of scholars in feminist studies. As the first analysis of the Albina tradition as a whole, it will be a valuable cornerstone for later studies.

Product Specifications

Brand: Cambria Press
Format: hardcover
ASIN: 1604978597
Category: Books > Subjects > History > Europe > Medieval
Domain: Amazon UK
Release Date: 28 October 2013
Listed Since: 11 October 2013

Barcode

No barcode data available

About as cheap as it gets — within 5% of the all-time low it hit 1 month ago.

Cambria Press Albina and Her Sisters: The Foundation of Albion

Price Distribution

Price Analysis

Description

Product Specifications

Barcode

Similar Products You Might Like

Motherhood, Religion, and Society in Medieval Europe, 400-1400: Essays Presented to Henrietta Leyser (Church, Faith and Culture in the Medieval West)

Motherhood, Religion, and Society in Medieval Europe, 400-1400: Essays Presented to Henrietta Leyser (Church, Faith and Culture in the Medieval West)

Women's Roles in the Middle Ages (Women's Roles through History)

Aemilia Juliana of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt - Early Modern Germany

The Voices of Nîmes: Women, Sex, and Marriage in Reformation Languedoc

The Reclamation of a Queen: Guinevere in Modern Fantasy: 44 (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction & Fantasy)

A History of Their Own: Women in Europe from Prehistory to the Present Volume II: Vol 2

Stereotypes of Women in Power: Historical Perspectives and Revisionist Views: 125 (Contributions in Women's Studies)

Women's Genealogies in the Medieval Literary Imagination: Matrilineal Legacies in the High Middle Ages: 125 (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature, Series Number 125)

Marian Maternity in Late-Medieval England (Manchester Medieval Literature and Culture)

Women's Lives in Medieval Europe: Second Edition: A Sourcebook

A Legend of Holy Women: A Translation of Osbern Bokenham's Legends of Holy Women: 0001 (Notre Dame Texts in Medieval Culture)

Notable Women in World History: A Guide to Recommended Biographies and Autobiographies (History of Cartography)

Woman Defamed and Woman Defended: An Anthology of Medieval Texts

Women Imagery Research Handbook - Information Science Reference

Extraordinary Women of the Medieval and Renaissance World: A Biographical Dictionary

„Die Arznei ist Goldes wert": Mittelalterliche Frauenrezepte

Matriarchal Societies and the Rise of Patriarchy Book

Muslim New Womanhood in Bangladesh - Routledge Research

Women, Families, and Feminist Politics: A Global Exploration (Haworth Innovations in Feminist Studies)

New Woman Fiction: Women Writing First-Wave Feminism

The Feminist Encyclopedia of German Literature

Exploring the Opportunity and Challenges of Women in India (India: Economic, Political and Social Issues)

Lone Motherhood In Twentieth-Century Britain: From Footnote to Front Page

About as cheap as it gets — within 5% of the all-time low it hit 1 month ago.

Cambria Press Albina and Her Sisters: The Foundation of Albion

Price History & Forecast

Price Distribution

Price Analysis

Description

Product Specifications

Barcode

Similar Products You Might Like

Motherhood, Religion, and Society in Medieval Europe, 400-1400: Essays Presented to Henrietta Leyser (Church, Faith and Culture in the Medieval West)

Motherhood, Religion, and Society in Medieval Europe, 400-1400: Essays Presented to Henrietta Leyser (Church, Faith and Culture in the Medieval West)

Women's Roles in the Middle Ages (Women's Roles through History)

Aemilia Juliana of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt - Early Modern Germany

The Voices of Nîmes: Women, Sex, and Marriage in Reformation Languedoc

The Reclamation of a Queen: Guinevere in Modern Fantasy: 44 (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction & Fantasy)

A History of Their Own: Women in Europe from Prehistory to the Present Volume II: Vol 2

Stereotypes of Women in Power: Historical Perspectives and Revisionist Views: 125 (Contributions in Women's Studies)

Women's Genealogies in the Medieval Literary Imagination: Matrilineal Legacies in the High Middle Ages: 125 (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Literature, Series Number 125)

Marian Maternity in Late-Medieval England (Manchester Medieval Literature and Culture)

Women's Lives in Medieval Europe: Second Edition: A Sourcebook

A Legend of Holy Women: A Translation of Osbern Bokenham's Legends of Holy Women: 0001 (Notre Dame Texts in Medieval Culture)

Notable Women in World History: A Guide to Recommended Biographies and Autobiographies (History of Cartography)

Woman Defamed and Woman Defended: An Anthology of Medieval Texts

Women Imagery Research Handbook - Information Science Reference

Extraordinary Women of the Medieval and Renaissance World: A Biographical Dictionary

„Die Arznei ist Goldes wert": Mittelalterliche Frauenrezepte

Matriarchal Societies and the Rise of Patriarchy Book

Muslim New Womanhood in Bangladesh - Routledge Research

Women, Families, and Feminist Politics: A Global Exploration (Haworth Innovations in Feminist Studies)

New Woman Fiction: Women Writing First-Wave Feminism

The Feminist Encyclopedia of German Literature

Exploring the Opportunity and Challenges of Women in India (India: Economic, Political and Social Issues)

Lone Motherhood In Twentieth-Century Britain: From Footnote to Front Page