This book is an approachable collection of thematic case studies on the many facets of genealogical imagery in (mostly Central) Europe during the High and Late Medieval Ages. The significance of genealogies in society and politics is clearly argued in various contexts, with close examination of primary source material and well-synthesised contextual discussion of scholarship. Students and scholars engaging in research into genealogies can benefit from the book as it demonstrates how visual sources can be used to investigate political culture and ideology in the Middle Ages.
Holladay takes a broad approach to the definition of "genealogy." She discusses multiple types of genealogies across three centuries (twelfth to fourteenth) from Western and Central Europe. She incorporates the representations of not only biological ancestry, but also Amtsgenealogien (the succession of office-holders). This allows for examination of lineages of royal and noble families, archbishops or abbesses. Furthermore, Holladay addresses genealogical representations across a range of visual media, including sculptures, manuscripts, paintings and stained-glass windows. She highlights the omnipresence of genealogical content in medieval Europe, delving into the contexts of selected works.
The book is organised into five chapters. Each investigates a type of genealogical image and how it serves a greater function: 1) architectural spaces and the significance of Antiquity; 2) manuscript rolls and the systematic organisation of the past; 3) archiepiscopal and royal genealogies in sacred spaces; 4) tomb cycles and political allegiances and lastly 5) family trees and monastic founders. As a cursory glance reveals, two out of five chapters centre around manuscripts, while the other three consider sculptures, paintings, pictures and objects. These choices by the author highlight the great variety of visual representations of genealogy in medieval Europe. Within each chapter, Holladay discusses in detail what could be described as self-contained "case studies" of how genealogical imagery was deployed for political purposes.
The first chapter revolves around the idea of "environment." It compares wall-paintings and architectural projects instigated at three European courts by Frederick I Barbarossa, Philip VI of France and Charles IV of Bohemia. In so doing, Holladay notes the transmission of ideas between European courts. The second chapter shifts to thirteenth-century England, examining royal genealogies depicted in diagrams on long rolls. This specific type of organisation is discussed alongside the material form of the writing support. Here, Holladay expands on two articles she has written previously about similar manuscripts. While the earlier articles focus on gender and English claims to the Scottish crown, this chapter turns to the materiality and structuring of genealogical information. The third chapter moves on from royal genealogies to the role of Amtsgenealogien in the archiepiscopal contexts of Cologne, Mainz and Reims. The depiction of theAmtsgenealogien on choir screens, stained-glass windows and tombs are analysed to highlight archiepiscopal efforts to legitimise themselves in relation to imperial or royal coronations. The next chapter examines tombs and tomb cycles of patrons and founding families in churches and monasteries within the Holy Roman Empire, including the tombs of the Nellenburg family at Schaffhausen; the abbesses of Quedlinburg; the landgraves of Hesse at Marburg; and the margraves of Meissen at Altzella, with some mention of the abbeys of Fontevraud and Saint-Denis in France. The final chapter continues with the theme of monasteries and their patrons--albeit in monastic chronicles. Holladay addresses two chronicle manuscripts as objects designed to project the cloister's identity to outsiders. The main case studies discussed to emphasise the relationship between monasteries and their founding families are Zwettel Abbey (Kuenring family) and Steingarden Abbey (Guelf family). Additionally, she also discusses the changing functions of the codices under investigation (Histora Welforum and the Foundation Book of Cloister Zwettl). The book concludes with a chronological jump to the end of the fifteenth century and a short discussion of the utilisation of genealogical imagery under Maximillian I.
Holladay herself mentions in the introduction that the goal of the book is to analyse the widespread use of genealogies and the variety of their functions in a range of thematic categories. Holladay's approach therefore is a detailed contextual examination of the particular examples. The book does not claim to provide a comprehensive assessment of genealogies during a particular dynastic reign or an extensive analysis of a certain type of genealogical representation. The book's approach towards genealogical sources differs from most monographs on the topic, as most of the scholarly literature in this field thus far has tended to focus on a certain dynasty or a severely limited chronological and geographical area.
The strength of this book comes from the synthesis of previous scholarship, including German studies that are less known in Anglophone research, as well as the specific and comparative examples of genealogical representation. It has to be pointed out that the book has a strong emphasis on Central Europe. Four out of five chapters predominantly investigate works produced in the Holy Roman Empire, while only one other (chapter 2), focuses almost exclusively on England. Holladay contextualises her case studies with comparative examples from other regions, mainly France, highlighting that genealogical images were a Europe-wide phenomenon. Offering a cross-section of genealogical ideas in medieval society, the volume showcases the "mosaic" of examples, bringing to the fore certain aspects of the relationship between genealogies and politics. The flip-side of her close-reading approach is that the connections between the individual chapters and case studies could have been a little stronger, as the book relies heavily on the introductory overview to tie the volume together. It may have been more helpful for the reader had the conclusion consolidated the well-argued individual chapters of the book, rather than a discussion about the genealogies produced during the reign of Maximilian I. Throughout the book, Holladay's arguments are strongly supported by the very generous number (over 140) of reproduced images. Monochrome photographs and diagrams are positioned throughout the chapters at moments useful for the reader, with another eleven colour-plates found in the middle of the book. These graphics are generally high-quality and very well integrated into the discussion.