And every bishop, abbot and abbess who is able to do so is to give a pound of silver in alms.
Petitioners recognized the influential position the abbess had obtained as a result of her own patronage of the exiled and impecunious royalists.
In return for the aid, the abbess expected to reap the fruits of royal patronage once the king's fortunes were reversed.
The introductory essay provides a vivid account of some of the last abbesses and prioresses drawn mainly from episcopal and archiepiscopal visitation records.
The monastery itself provided accommodation for the symposium participants, thanks to the hospitality of the abbess.
The abbess's influence with the king and his courtiers is only comprehensible in the light of the business she conducted on their behalf.
Every bishop but one, and a very high proportion of abbots and abbesses, were of noble family.
It offers a detailed description of the abbess's involvement in royalist affairs, but does not explore the motives for her assistance.
