Saint Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has been attributed many miracles before and mostly after his death. One example was of a court jester who slipped in the kitchen and hit his head causing him to lose the ability to speak or eat and his movement became very limited. Becket gave this jester a phial of some unknown liquid that began to heal the jester like no accident or injury had ever occurred at all; the jester was able to talk and eat and drink like he could before. Becket was able to cure an injury that could have resulted in permanent disability or eventually death (Rembis, Kudlick, and Nielsen). This was one event of healing attributed to Becket, and after his death on December 29, 1170, when he was killed by a knight of King Henry II while praying, he was given credit for 703 miracles that were performed at his shrine, including cures of leprosy, paralysis, epilepsy, and blindness ("The Miracles of St Thomas Becket").
Saint Thomas held an important role as he was the archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral, and the king of England and the Archbishop of Canterbury usually worked together because of the connection between religion and state in medieval Europe. As many people listen to both the king and the Pope, the Church has power because it can excommunicate the king, or by condemning his soul to Hell, giving the people the justification to disobey the king ("History - Thomas Becket").
King Henry trusted Thomas Becket because they were good friends, and when the Archbishop of Canterbury passed in 1162, King Henry gave more power to his friend Becket by appointing him the new Archbishop. They soon fell into disagreement when King Henry passed a law saying those punished in Church courts would be punished by the royal courts, and Becket did not agree with this law and refused to follow it. This disagreement led Becket to flee the country and exile himself in France for several years. He later came out of exile and returned from France to continue his role as Archbishop in his home county. The disagreements between King Henry and Becket only continued as Becket was dedicated to the Church and believed more in the power of God than the king. Archbishop Becket tried to excommunicate the Archbishop of York because he was trying to side with the king and Becket did not approve as God should be greater than the king ("History - Thomas Becket").
After a (possible) miscommunication, four knights of the king believed Henry wanted Becket dead, so they murdered him. After the murder King Henry begged forgiveness and prayed at the site of Becket’s murder while being whipped ("Thomas Becket"). Becket was quickly declared a saint soon after his murder in 1173 ("History - Thomas Becket").
After he was killed, his brain was separated from him and his body and brain were placed in the Cathedral's tomb and opened to the public in April of 1171, which is when the miracles started. These miracles made Canterbury Cathedral and the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket both locations highly visited by those looking for miracles or those looking to travel to holy sites. Many of his miracles can be seen on the stained glass windows of Canterbury Cathedral ("The Miracles of St Thomas Becket").
Thomas Becket is an important saint because he was believed to be able to cure illnesses and disabling conditions. People would be cured of their blindness and paralysis and serious illnesses such as leprosy. Thomas Becket should be studied when observing disability through history because it was believed he could and did cure those with disabling injuries or illnesses before what we consider modern medicine.
This artifact is a small replica metal badge of a bust of Saint Thomas Becket. Pins such as these are known as badges or trinkets special to a place. These are similar to modern-day souvenirs such as a t-shirt from a beach or a coffee mug with your name on it. This badge is representative of the Shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral.
Badges like these signify an area or event that many travellers would visit, and these badges were souvenirs of their travels. The badges carried an image of a person, place, or object that was of significance, such as the Canterbury Cathedral or this bust of Saint Thomas. As some of the stained glass windows do depict the miracles of St. Becket, some of them include the travel of people to the holy site of Canterbury Cathedral. What Becket was said to be able to do made the cathedral a location that was heavily visited. The amount of people that passed through the site caused the church to include pilgrimages of people to St. Becket’s site in their stained glass windows in the church and create pilgrim badges for their travellers ("Discovery of Earliest Known Image of Pilgrims on the Road to Canterbury").
There were many people who made these travels, or pilgrimages, so these pins are scattered mainly in harbors or riverbanks where the pins have fallen off of pilgrim bags or hats where the badges were pinned. Canterbury Cathedral became one of the wealthiest and famous shrines of Europe due to the immense number of people who would visit in search of miracles or to observe the cathedral.
Due to the fact that many of the badges are already weathered and tarnished from being left outside in harsher conditions, many museums have digital versions where visitors can explore the badges without the risk of further deteriorating them (Jeffs).
"Discovery of Earliest Known Image of Pilgrims on the Road to Canterbury." Medievalists.net, 21 Sept. 2018, www.medievalists.net/2018/09/discovery-earliest-known-image-pilgrims-canterb ury/.
"History - Thomas Becket." BBC , 29 Mar. 2011,www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/becket_thomas.shtml.
Jeffs, Amy."Tourist Trinkets: The Medieval Pilgrim Badge." History Today, 9 Aug. 2017, www.historytoday.com/history-matters/tourist-trinkets-medieval-pilgrim-badge.
"The Miracles of St Thomas Becket." Historic UK, 19 Nov. 2019, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Miracles-Of-St-Thomas-Becket/.
"Pilgrim's Badge of the Shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury | British | The Met." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/473470.
Rembis, Michael, Kudlick, Catherine, and Nielsen, Kim E. The Oxford Handbook of Disability History. Oxford University Press, 2018.
"Thomas Becket." History Learning Site, 5 Mar. 2015, www.historylearningsite.co.uk/medieval-england/thomas-becket/.
Thurston, Herbert. "St. Thomas Becket." New Advent, www.newadvent.org/cathen/14676a.htm.
The Canterbury Cathedral is a beautiful church located in the United Kingdom. Canterbury is the home of the stained glass windows that are better known as the “Miracle windows."
It all started in 1170 when Thomas Becket was murdered by King Henry II’s knights while he was praying in the Cathedral. A goldsmith and a few monks put his brains into a basin and his body was brought to the crypt. The doors to the crypt were closed for three months and were later opened to the public. Archbishop Becket was soon known as Saint Thomas and people from near and far would visit his tomb. They believed that he could cure any issues that someone had. There was an estimate of 100,000 visitors after his death. Becket's miracles first took place at his tomb “then through the whole crypt, then the whole church, then all of Canterbury, then England, then France, Normandy, Germany, [and the] whole world” (“The Miracles of St Thomas Becket").
A few years after Saint Thomas’s death, the Canterbury Cathedral had to be rebuilt after it was damaged by a fire. Along with the rebuilding of the Cathedral, three stained glass windows were put into the Cathedral that could, “depict miracles believed to be wrought by the saint” (Preston).
These windows tell the stories of Saint Thomas’s miracles. The miracles that are presented in the windows were documented by two monks named Benedict of Peterborough and William of Canterbury. These two monks were appointed to keep a book to document the 703 miracles that happened when the visitors visited Thomas Becket’s tomb before the Cathedral was rebuilt. The miracles are documented now on the stained glass windows in the Cathedral. The stories range from the cure of leprosy to paralysis, blindness, and epilepsy. Each window shows the before and after of the events that are depicted in each story. One person in particular who is depicted in one of these windows as being a part of Saint Thomas’s miracle stories is Hugh of Jervaulx.
Hugh of Jervaulx was a cellerar. Cellerars would supervise the monastery's food, ale, and wines. His story is depicted as a teardrop shape. This theme shows how the physician is not successful in attending Hugh. As he lies in bed, Abbot of Jervaulx observes his behaviors. In this case, the surgeons and physicians show that they are ineffective. This ineffectiveness is a theme in Saint Thomas’s miracles. The next scene is at the top of the stained glass window, in which the Abbot steps in and blesses Hugh by having him drink the holy water of Saint Thomas.
The third scene of this window shows blood pouring down Hugh's nose. The blood is shown as a long red ribbon that flows onto the floor. The blood that flows down from his nose was the “treatment" he received. Some people may have wondered if the bleeding would worsen or cure the disease that Hugh had. However, Hugh was actually healed from this bleeding, confirming another miracle by Saint Thomas.
The treatment that was given to Hugh of Jervaulx is very different from what we see in today's treatment for people who are disabled or diseased. In the miracle stories that are depicted on the stained glass windows, the physicians always tend to fail to help or cure their patients. This leads to healing through God and Saint Thomas.
“Disability in the Medieval Period 1050-1485.” Historic England, historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1050-1485/.
Preston, Cheryl. “The Miracles at Canterbury.” The Getty Iris, 25 July 2018, blogs.getty.edu/iris/the-miracles-at-canterbury/.
“The Miracles of St Thomas Becket.” Historic UK, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Miracles-Of-St-Thomas-Becket/.
The artifact, a stained glass window known as "Henry of Fordwich," can be found in Canterbury Cathedral in England. It is a part of a larger piece about St. Thomas and his healing powers.
Henry of Fordwich, best known from the stained glass window in Canterbury Cathedral, had an undocumented mental illness that is depicted as being “cured” in the stained glass window. He was brought to St. Thomas’s tomb to be helped because he was yelling and screaming. St. Thomas’s tomb and St. Thomas himself were believed to have great healing powers, and the rest of the stained glass windows around this one shows multiple examples of different people that he cured after he had been killed.
St. Thomas was brutally murdered inside Canterbury Cathedral and quickly became a sign of healing and help to people with many varying disabilities after his untimely murder. In the year after he was killed over 100,000 people visited his gravesite for its many healing powers. The stained glass window on which Henry of Fordwich is pictured shows many of the healings that happened after his death, at his tomb site.
The stained glass window that depicts Henry of Fordwich shows a “mad” man, a general term used in many time periods of history for a variety of mental health issues, being beaten in one scene and what seems to be praying in the other scene directly to the right of the first. The story goes much deeper than just what the glass depicts. Henry from a nearby town was bound by his hands and feet and dragged to St. Thomas’s tomb. He was being hit with sticks by his captors, and he could be seen yelling different things. In the first panel, a pastor is holding a bible or a book because of how concerned he is by Henry of Fordwich’s condition. After he was blessed and helped by the pastor, he spent a night inside the cathedral. When the concerned citizens that brought him to the cathedral came back the next day, he was cured because of St. Thomas and his powers. As a gift, the beating sticks and rope were left at St. Thomas’s tomb.
In the two panels, there are a lot of different stained glass colors that all represent a different piece of the story. They are there to give context to people who are looking at the panels. The colors convey various meanings, so even if you didn’t know the story you could break down the stained glass and still figure the story out. The first color that really pops out is the red circle that surrounds both of the panels. This could represent St. Thomas and his martyrdom. The second color is how the pastor is completely washed out in white in every picture I look at. This is because white represents purity and strength through God in stained glass windows. The pastor and the bible that he is touching in the first panel are pure because they are symbols of God. The final and most important color that pops out in the stained glass window is the green in one of his captor’s scarves, which changes from one panel to another. Green in stained glass and in other paintings can represent nature and growth. The green in the first panel seems to be a much darker green representing that Henry of Fordwich has no hope and can’t grow from the point he’s at right now. But in the second panel, the green is brighter and more vibrant. He has changed and grown as a person, “expelling” his mental illness.
In the stained glass window titled Henry of Fordwich, a man, Henry, is dragged to an altar and a pastor to help him with his "madness." In his time, he had some sort of mental illness or disability that was perceived as unfavorable and something to be cured in a miraculous fashion.
Preston, Cheryl. “The Miracles at Canterbury.” The Getty Iris, 25 July 2018, blogs.getty.edu/iris/the-miracles-at-canterbury/.
Tracy, Kisha. “Canterbury Cathedral.” Flickr, Mar. 2014, www.flickr.com/photos/kosho/albums/72157692272058595.
“Symbolism Behind Stained Glass Color in Churches.” Scottish Stained Glass, www.scottishstainedglass.com/religious-stained-glass/symbolism-behind-stained-glass-color-in-churches/.
Richard III was the King of England from 1483 until he passed away in 1485. Despite his short reign, he still made a name for himself. After the death of his brother, King Edward IV, Richard III is rumored to have killed his nephews, Edward and Richard, in order to become the new king.
During his reign, Richard participated in a battle against the Lancastrians for control over the country. in the “War of the Roses.” During this bloody battle, Richard lost his father, his uncle, and one of his brothers. Shortly after the war, Richard’s brother, Edward IV, took over as king. Edward IV died, and the title of king was passed onto his son, Edward V. At the time, Edward was only 12, and Richard possibly took advantage of his innocence. Richard adopted his nephews and took the title of the king’s lord protector. Richard eventually locked his nephews in the Tower of London, where they passed away. This resulted in Richard becoming the new king.
In August 2012, archaeologists began looking for the body of King Richard III. The project was led by the University of Leicester archaeological services. In September 2012, a body was discovered where Grey Friars church once stood in Leicester. After uncovering the body, researchers compared the DNA to the DNA of Richard's sister, Anne of York. In February of 2013, the DNA proved to be Richard’s. After coming to the conclusion that the skeleton was in fact Richard III, a proper burial was given out of respect.
When Richard’s skeletal remains were discovered, we were able to learn more about his scoliosis. Due to disinformation spread by his enemies (namely the Tudors), Richard was called a "hunch-back" after his death. While he did in fact have scoliosis, he was only portrayed as a hunch-back because the Tudor family that defeated him did not want him to be seen as a strong ruler. Scoliosis is an abnormal curvature of the spine, somewhat like an “S” or “C,” which affects two to three percent of people in the world. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons concluded that “eighty percent of scoliosis cases have no identifiable cause." Although there is no specific cause, a few possibilities include birth defects, neurological abnormalities, and genetic conditions. Spinal injuries that occur later in life may also lead to scoliosis.
Many doctors suggest that yoga can help with scoliosis, as it helps to stretch out the spine. Scoliosis is also often treated with physical therapy or a chiropractor. Special braces are often used to help correct the curvature of the spine. In some cases, surgery is necessary to completely adjust the angle of the spine. Many people who are affected by scoliosis develop other back issues, so it is rare that a simple treatment will completely fix their backs.
Scoliosis can cause back pain and eventually lead to worse problems, such as bulging and/or herniated discs. A bulging disc is a common spine injury where the soft center of the spinal disc tends to slip or leak through a crack in the bone of the spine. Depending on where this is happening in the back it can affect other limbs of the body. If it is in the lower back, your hips or legs are more bound to be affected. But if the discs are shifted up higher than a possibly or shoulder, neck or arm pains are very common.
If the scoliosis is bad it will force the rib cage to rest on the person's lungs, or even their heart. This can lead to breathing difficulties, as well as problems with the heart pumping blood. These are serious issues that could play an important role in someone's health.
Scoliosis itself is not a life-threatening situation, but if it goes untreated it may cause unnecessary stress for the individual. In the case of King Richard III, his scoliosis did not affect much of his life. It was only after his death that people shamed him for his disability. The curvature of his spine did not stop him from becoming a king, and there were even treatments for scoliosis during his lifetime. It is unknown if he used “traction,” but as king he would likely have been able to do so. While scoliosis has the capability of hurting someone’s quality of life, it is not debilitating, and it certainly did not make King Richard III any less of a king.
Discovered in August 1996, a unique burial site was overturned during a building project finding “remains of 43 individuals...6m x 2m and was only 50 cm in depth” (“Towton Mass Grave Project - Facilities”). The results were analyzed by multiple scientists, and it was discovered that on March 29, 1461, an extremely bloody battle at Towton field had occured. What made it so bloody was the loss of over 28,000 men. One of the men of the battle lived, but carried an ugly scar. Discovered on his skull was a big slice from the top of the skull to the upper mouth.
The Battle of Towton occured to see which family was going to rule over England. The battle occured between Henry Beaufort, leader of the Lancastrians, and King Edward IV of England, the Yorkists. The battle took place somewhere between Towton and Saxton in the middle of a snowstorm, famously on Palm Sunday, with both armies having an estimated amount of 50 to 60 thousand soldiers each.
Soldiers throughout many historic battles have received many injuries from lethal wounds to broken bones and amputated body parts. The harshness of battle can be especially seen in the skull with the large scar who was dubbed Towton 25. Estimated at the age of 36 to about 45, the soldier had fought many battles throughout his lifetime, shown from the many scars on his skull. However, on the day of the battle, he had taken “eight wounds to his head” (“Nasty, Brutish and Not That Short”). Towton 25 may have had past years of experience fighting, but it was not good enough to sustain these wounds from this battle and keep on fighting.
Throughout history, there have been all sorts of disabilities sustained by soldiers. One of the many examples of having a high chance to disable other soldiers in war are from leg injuries ranging from getting shot to explosions to any other type of accident impairing your ability to move freely and easily. Other disabilities that happened frequently could have been becoming blind or deaf. One unique disability that happened to soldiers is a condition called shellshock. The term “‘shellshock’, ‘was the blanket term applied by contemporaries to those soldiers who broke down” ("Trench Conditions") and can be linked to post-traumatic stress disorder. The main causes of obtaining this disorder can come from witnessing the havoc that goes on around them, seeing friendly soldiers being killed or majorly injured affecting others mind and personality. During the Vietnam War many soldiers' families noticed that their veterans had an altered mental state, even sometimes being adamantly unwilling to talk about what went on during the war.
One of the many things history can teach us is how we can learn from our mistakes and how to also improve from them. Soldiers go into war extremely motivated to defend what they are fighting for, but often don't think of the costs or what can happen to them. Looking back into history at every war, they all have a pattern of starting with a large number of soldiers and ending with a significant number of casualties and permanently disabled soldiers. One study discovered that “one out of every ten veterans alive today was seriously injured at some point while serving in the military” (Morin). This is just a small statistic in today’s standard; in earlier wars, it was far worse. During the American Civil War, soldiers who had been injured and could not function as well would still be forced to battle and push through their wounds. Some injuries could still be treated as soon as possible but not in a professional or clean way. Today the treatment of wounds has majorly improved with quicker and cleaner treatment.
The discovery of Towton 25 was an insight into how medieval soldiers fought against one another and what they went through. Looking at all the fractured, scarred bones showed what occurred and how the soldiers fought to survive.
Morin, Rich. “For Many Injured Veterans, A Lifetime of Consequences.” Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, 11 Apr. 2014, www.pewsocialtrends.org/2011/11/08/for-many-injured-veterans-a-lifetime-of-consequences/.
“Nasty, Brutish and Not That Short.” The Economist, 16 Dec. 2010, www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2010/12/16/nasty-brutish-and-not-that-short?story_id=17722650&fbclid=IwAR3zaf3_8ZU1Q74hHuQcoprXf0bY3l6-oE_DcOArBwHPNhU7lLn-_ITl_wU.
“Towton Mass Grave Project - Facilities.” University of Bradford, www.bradford.ac.uk/archaeological-forensic-sciences/facilities/barc/barc-projects/towton-mass-grave-project/.
“Trench Conditions - ‘Shellshock.’” Canadian War Museum, www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/history/life-at-the-front/trench-conditions/shellshock/.
King Alfred the Great ruled the Saxon kingdom of Wessex, located in southwestern England, from the years 871 to 899CE. Alfred is the only English monarch given the title “the Great.” This could be due to his work defending against Viking invasions and his social reforms. It is known that through much of his life King Alfred suffered from illness that caused him severe pain. Asser, the Welsh bishop of King Alfred, studied the King’s illness and kept records of his symptoms. In Asser’s book Life of Alfred, he writes much on the subject of Alfred’s health. Fortunately for us, we can now look at the book and learn about the king’s symptoms. Upon studying his symptoms, many people have considered several conditions that the king may have suffered from, including neuritis (inflammation of a nerve), epilepsy, sexually transmitted diseases, or even psychosomatic illnesses due to stress. After all of this studying, researchers have come to the conclusion that it is most likely that King Alfred suffered from Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
Much of the information we have about Alfred’s condition comes from Asser’s writings. In his book, Asser explains that Alfred had a huge feast after his marriage to his bride, Ealhswith. It was after the feast that Alfred began experiencing a harsh and relentless pain. The pain persisted for over twenty years, and the cause remained unknown to physicians at the time. Because there were no concrete diagnoses, rumors spread that King Alfred was possessed by the devil or that he was being punished by a witch. Others thought that it might just be an unknown fever, or even possibly hemorrhoids. Given medical discoveries since Alfred’s time, we have a much better understanding of his symptoms. Comparing Alfred’s symptoms such as the severe pain and anal lesion to present-day illness, we can come to the conclusion that Alfred was most likely suffering from Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease is an incurable, lifelong disease. Crohn’s disease causes chronic inflammation of the digestive system, typically the intestine and colon (although it can form anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract). This can cause ulcers to form. Doctors are still unsure what exactly causes Crohn’s disease, but factors such as a person’s immune system, genes, and environment can influence whether or not they get the disease. It is also known that the disease affects people in different ways, but some common symptoms are abdominal pain and cramping, fever, fatigue, blood in stool, as well as pain and lesions in the anal region, due to frequent bowel movements. Crohn’s disease can last years and in some cases can be lifelong, with symptoms worsening overtime.
In a person with Crohn’s disease, the immune system attacks parts of the gastrointestinal system and damages it. This disease affects the way your body takes in important nutrients, and can have a negative impact on the way your body digests food and gets rid of its waste. Symptoms can be off and on, and remission only takes place when the ulcers start to heal.
This fluctuation in symptoms can be seen in the case of Alfred who experienced periods of chronic pain where he was unable to leave his room, as well as periods with no symptoms. While Crohn’s is not usually a debilitating condition, most patients must take the disease and its possible flare-ups into consideration when planning everyday activities.
Crohn’s disease first became regarded as a medical condition in 1932 by famous gastroenterologist Dr. Burrill Crohn, which the disease is named after. Despite being first recognized in the 20th century, this was not the first time the condition was described. The first explanation given of the disease was given by an Italian physician named Giovanni Battista Morgagni, when he was diagnosing a patient who suffered from symptoms common in Crohn’s. Prior to Dr. Crohn and his colleagues’ discovery, any disease that involved the small intestine was viewed as intestinal tuberculosis. The discovery made by these doctors helped patients who were misdiagnosed with other diseases and were given the wrong treatments due to these misdiagnoses. As our medical knowledge increases with time, we are able to treat patients in a more efficient way.
King Alfred’s condition has shown us just how much medicine has changed over time and how, as we gain a better knowledge of certain conditions, we can treat a wider range of people. While it is difficult for us to prove that King Alfred for sure suffered from Crohn’s disease, from studying his symptoms that were written about is Asser’s the Life of Alfred, we can come to the conclusion that Alfred most likely suffered from this condition. If Alfred did not have Crohn’s, scientists speculate that it may have been tuberculosis, colon cancer, or infections, but these are much less likely. Tuberculosis and colon cancer would not have allowed him to live as long as he did, and it is very doubtful that he had infections that spanned more than two decades. King Alfred’s illness caused him to fluctuate between periods of no suffering and periods of debilitating pain. The pain could sometimes be so severe that he was unable to leave his room. This would be difficult for anyone to deal with, but particularly a king who must rule a country at war. King Alfred suffered from pain through much of his life with no relief.
"Alfred the Great," English Monarchs, www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/saxon_6.htm.
Alvarez, Sandra. “Alfred the Great: a Diagnosis.” Medievalists.net, 11 Dec. 2018, www.medievalists.net/2012/04/alfred-the-great-a-diagnosis/.
Britain Express. “Statue of King Alfred the Great - Winchester: Historic Winchester Guide.” Britain Express, www.britainexpress.com/counties/hampshire/winchester/alfred-statue.htm.
Khatri, Minesh. “Living with Crohn's Disease: What To Expect.” WebMD, 14 Aug. 2018, www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/crohns-disease/what-to-expect-crohns-disease#2.
“A Look Back at Our Beginning.” Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/about/our-beginning.
“Passion, Piles and a Pebble: What Ailed Alfred the Great?” Boaring Medievalist, 5 Aug. 2018, boaringmedievalist.com/2015/10/29/passion-piles-and-a-pebble-what-ailed-alfred-the-gre at/.
Robertson, Sally. “History of Crohn's Disease.” News Medical, 26 Feb. 2019, www.news-medical.net/health/History-of-Crohns-Disease.aspx.
“What Is Crohn's Disease?” Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/what-is-crohns-disease.
Lindisfarne, also known as Holy Island, is found just off the coast of Northumbria. In the early English period, this island was widely known as one of the holiest sites of the country. This is largely due to the cult of Saint Cuthbert that originated on the island and led to a rich monastic culture on the site. Cuthbert went from being a respected bishop on the island to a canonized saint once his corpse was found to be “incorruptible” long after his burial. An incorruptible corpse is one that does not show signs of natural decay, but has miraculously been preserved. After this, his body became a relic and was put on display.
The monks and bishop of the isle were protected from the political side of religious life due to the remoteness of the monetary by the sea. With little conflict in the region and no real secular concerns, the brothers on the island enjoyed wealth and relative peace in their isolated order. Then everything changed when the Vikings attacked in 793 CE.
While not the first such raid on the English coast, the attack on Lindisfarne is largely agreed to be the beginning of the Viking Age. It was one of the first raids on a religious order, and the fact that such a brutal attack by "heathen" men was allowed by both God and Saint Cuthbert horrified the rest of English Christendom.
Long after the end of the Viking Age, in the 16th century, a castle was built on the island. Lindisfarne Castle came too late to help the monks who were attacked, but it was originally built with the defense of the island in mind. It began as little more than a garrison, though it was continuously updated throughout the centuries until it became an Edwardian-style holiday house. In the dining room visitors can find styles from each era of the castle’s life still preserved.
For more on Viking modes of travel, see the entry on the Roskilde Ship Museum.
“The Castle: Peeling Back the Layers.” National Trust, 8 June 2015, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lindisfarne-castle/features/the-castle-peeling-back-the-layers.
“The Holy Island of Lindisfarne.” Historic UK, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Lindisfarne/.
Story, Joanna. “History of Lindisfarne Priory.” English Heritage, www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/lindisfarne-priory/History/.
Story, Joanna. “The Viking Raid on Lindisfarne.” English Heritage, www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/lindisfarne-priory/History/viking-raid/.
Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, lifts her hands in victory or in challenge. This ancient queen led her people against Rome, even managing to sack and burn Londinium at the heart of Roman Britain. This rebellion had followed Rome’s betrayal of her late husband’s will, which had named the Roman Emperor as well as Boudicca’s daughters as his heirs in an effort to keep the peace. After suffering a flogging and the rape of her daughters, Boudicca began a campaign of revenge which did not end until 80,000 Romans were killed and many Roman cities sacked and burned. Her statue in modern-day London now stands as a reminder of her legend and bravery.
Much closer to home in the South End of Boston, there stands a memorial to another brave woman. The Harriet Tubman Memorial, also known as Step on Board, honors a woman who showed a different kind of bravery. Nicknamed “Moses” for her work in the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman not only escaped herself, but led roughly 300 slaves to freedom over the course of ten years. Neither Harriet nor any she helped escape were recaptured. This was all accomplished while suffering from a head injury which caused sleeping spells from which she could not be awakened. Her statue shows her holding a Bible in front of those she led to safety depicted on a vertical slab. On the back there are various quotes from Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass, and Sarah Bradford. There is also a map depicting stops on the Underground Railroad.
Both Boudicca and Harriet Tubman are immortalized in bronze in the heart of two cities that each played an important role in their lives. They faced tremendous odds in order to lead their people to freedom and safety from tyranny, and their courage still inspires us today.
“Facts: Harriet Tubman.” Harriet Tubman Historical Society, www.harriet-tubman.org/facts/.
“Step on Board/Harriet Tubman Memorial.” Boston.gov, Boston Art Commission, 26 June 2019, www.boston.gov/departments/arts-and-culture/boston-art-commission.
“About Us / Shakespeare's Globe.” Shakespeare's Globe, www.shakespearesglobe.com/about-us. Accessed 4 May 2018.
Mackay, Charles. A Glossary of Obscure Words and Phrases in the Writings of Shakspeare and
His Contemporaries. Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1887.
“Performance History.” Shakespeare & Company, www.shakespeare.org/about/performance-history. Accessed 4 May 2018.
Wood, Jillian. “Hamlet: the Play within the Play.” The British Library, 6 Nov. 2015, www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/hamlet-the-play-within-the-play.