Sean Gilsdorf

Queenship and Sanctity makes available the first English translations of three medieval German vitae—two about Mathilda and one about Adelheid, who were both queens of Germany in the second half of the 900s. The Lives were written not long after the women's respective deaths, and Gildorf argues that the first Life of Mathilda was likely written by a nun who knew her. The translation is fluid and readable, and the extensive introduction very informative—though perhaps some of the discussion of manuscript history, etc, might be a little opaque to the non-specialist. Still, sure to be useful to both scholars and students alike.… (mehr)