The first extended study of relics of the blood of Christ, the 'Holy Blood'.

Acknowledgements; 1. Introduction; 2. The ceremony of 1247; 3. The patriarch's letters; 4. The Holy Blood; 5. The scholastic debate; 6. Two commentaries: John Hus and William Sudbury; 7. The rivals: Hailes, Ashridge, Glastonbury; 8. The indulgences and the reliquary; Epilogue; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

Nicholas Vincent is the author of five previous works on Anglo-French history, including Peter des Roches: An Alien in English Politics, 1205-1238 (1996) in the prestigious series 'Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought'. He is currently Professor of Medieval History at Christ Church College, Canterbury, and Visiting Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge. Professor Vincent is also Director (in succession to Professor Sir James Holt) of the British Academy's Angevin Acta project, and is soon to complete an edition of the charters of Henry II.