Mapping Martyrdom

Abstract

What were late medieval English people thinking of when they used the word ‘martyrdom’? This question will guide me in the exploration of ideas and images held by men and women, merchants and gentry, nobility and peasantry when confronted with narratives of martyrdom. The meaning of martyrdom can be likened to a pebble thrown into a pond: the spot where it hits the surface is apparent, but the farther one looks and as time passes, the ripples become subtler. At the heart of late medieval ideas on martyrdom lay Christ and his Passion, the sacrifice on the cross being the pivotal point of Christian narrative. The ripples are the words and images related to the innocent suffering which is martyrdom. The historical sources relevant to this study are vast, but unravelling them is highly challenging.