Synopses & Reviews
In medieval Europe, falconry was perhaps the most popular form of hunting among the aristocracy. Owning a falcon, and the necessary falconer to go with it, was a status symbol throughout the middle ages. This book is the first broad history of English royal falconry in medieval times, a book that draws on forty years of research to provide a full description of the actual practice and conditions of the sport and of the role of falconers in the English royal household.
Robin S. Oggins begins with a description of the birds of prey, their training, and the sport of falconry. He provides a short history of early falconry in western Europe and England, then explores in unprecedented detail royal falconry from the reign of William I to the death of Edward I in 1307. The author concludes with an overview of the place and importance of falconry in medieval life.
Review
"Professor Oggins makes an important contribution to the study of falconry and hawking in medieval England. His book will also be essential reading for those who wish to understand the households of the kings up to the early fourteenth century."and#8212;C. M. Woolgar, author of The Great Household in Late
Review
andlt;!--and#8220;Unearthing a wealth of new information, Oggins fills a major gap in our knowledge about medieval hunting.and#8221; --Baudoin van den Abeele, Universitandeacute; catholique de Louvain
Synopsis
Perhaps the equivalent of polo-playing today, the sport of falconry was the preserve of the wealthy and royalty, regarded as both a suitable and enjoyable leisure activity, and as a source of status and prestige. The Kings and Their Hawks is a social history of falconry in medieval England fron William I to the death of Edward I, examining how and why it became such an integral part of courtly life. This study is based largely on literary sources related to faconry and governmental records on the practice of the sport, as well as artistic and archaeological evidence. Robin Oggins not only presents a history of the sport, but also investigates what birds were used, where they were bought, how they were trained, the role of the falconer, how he was paid, housed and what his status was in the royal household. All this provides insights into royal sport and medieval leisure, royal administration and the infrastructure of the royal household, as well as how activities such as falconry were perceived by different social classes, from peasantry to the clergy, from proponents to critics, from royalty to legislators. A delightful and thoroughly interesting book.
About the Author
Robin S. Oggins is a retired medieval historian and fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He lives in Vestal, New York.