Izvorni znanstveni članak
The Role of Portable Effigies in Queens' Funeral Ceremonies and Their Connection with the King's Two Bodies Theory
Kosana Jovanović
; Odsjek za povijest, Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci
Sažetak
The portable effigy represents an almost inevitable part of the royal funeral ceremonials in the medieval period. Its presence in the ceremony was not that of a casual accessory, since it held a prominent place due to its unique symbolism. The portable effigy had a role attributed to it of something that helps to transmit the idea of the transference of power from the deceased ruler to his successor. From its first appearance in the fourteenth century, the effigy was used for the sole purpose of faithfully representing the deceased ruler. Testifying to that is the fact that the effigies were manufactured and ordained in a manner that would make them the true representations of the deceased kings. Furthermore, the funeral puppet was given the role of the carrier of the immortality of royal dignity present in the king’s second body, the body politic.
However, there might be a minor chink in the armour of this apparently bullet-proof theory, as presented by Ralph E. Giesey. The portable effigy was not used exclusively in the funeral ceremony of kings, but also in the burial ceremonials of their spouses, queens and consorts. Accordingly, the queens’ effigies were also shown the same level of respect and honour during the ceremonial. In the light of this fact, one must wonder how it was possible to attribute to the portable effigy the sole symbolic role of the carrier of the immortality of royal dignity if the queens were not eligible to transfer such power to the successor to the throne.
This paper will aim to present two interrelated problems regarding the portable effigies. The first is the discovery of the true significance of the portable effigies’ role in the funerals of queens, and it is from this that the second point of the paper stems: that is the connection between the portable effigy and the transference of power. The paper will try to elaborate whether the effigies that were used in the funerals of kings had the same symbolic meaning as those used in the queens’ funerals.
Ključne riječi
effigies; funeral ceremony; the Middle Ages; England; France; king; queen; Ralph E. Giesey; Ernst H. Kantorowicz; Elizabeth A. R. Brown
Hrčak ID:
121317
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.12.2013.
Posjeta: 1.757 *