WESTMINSTER ABBEY

The Westminster Abbey that we see today at the centre of national political life, in which millions watched the coronation of Charles III, is the creation of Henry III (r. 1216-1272). Henry III's Abbey was built to impress, in the architectural style then popular in Europe, and lavishly furnished and decorated.

By Beth Williamson

A royal church and a Christian monarchy each gained and grew in this association. But the roots of this medieval Benedictine abbey as a key site of English royal power and patronage were deeper, having begun under the last Anglo-Saxon King of England, Edward the Confessor (r. 1042–1066). Anglo-Saxon kings often founded or endowed minsters (Old English for monasterium) near their palaces. Around 960, a Benedictine Abbey was dedicated to Saint Peter by King Edgar (r. 959–975). He was an enthusiastic proponent of English Benedictine Reform, a process by which monasteries staffed by secular clergy (often married) were replaced by celibate monks following the Rule of Saint Benedict. So, there was royal interest in this site, and in the Benedictines, before the reign of Edward the Confessor. However, it was under…

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Medieval World Culture & Conflict (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 10 - 2024

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