William Chester Jordan sets out to examine the competition between the abbeys of Saint-Denis and Westminster through the lives of their respective abbots, Richard de Ware and Mathieu de Vendome, who achieved office in the same year, 1258. He presents a detailed and engaging analysis of the political and administrative context of relations between England and France in the mid-thirteenth century, charting the ebb and flow of the fortunes of kings, the abbots themselves, and the monasteries they ruled. Jordan employs the full panoply of medieval sources, from chronicles to cartularies, records of government to building accounts and medieval songs. His excitement at entering the archives of Westminster abbey during a research trip, related in the preface, underlines the extensive and careful research that has gone into producing this book.

After examining the historical context of relations between France and England in the first chapter, Jordan considers the backgrounds and rise to prominence of the two men, which were strikingly similar. Richard and Mathieu were both of modest birth but rose to achieve high office, not only in their monasteries, but also in the kingdoms at large. They were both valued initially by Louis IX and Henry III for their administrative and diplomatic capablilities, yet both also had to maintain their abbeys' status as exempt from ecclesiastical jurisidiction. The complex web of networks that linked the two institutions in the arena of high politics are elucidated in a detailed chapter on the Treaty of Paris in 1259 where Mathieu and Richard met during the negotiations. In chapter 4, the focus shifts to the reigns of Louis IX and Henry III, contrasting the fortunes of the two kings with another nod to Charles Dickens: it was the “best of times” for Louis, secure on his throne and instigating reforms, but the “worst of times” for Henry, faced with the Barons' War. The architectural rivalry between the two institutions is examined in chapter 5 and it is here that Jordan sheds the most light on the abbeys themselves. In his analysis of Richard de Ware's patronage, Jordan also points out one of the key differences between him and his brother abbot. Richard's value as a negotiator and financier of Henry's policies enabled him to travel extensively in France and Italy and thus to import artistic influences back to Westminster, notably as evidenced in the Cosmati pavement. Mathieu, it seems, took his Benedictine vows of stability seriously and remained in Saint-Denis, only travelling on abbatial business. Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is that which deals with the abbots responses to the succession of Philip III in France and Edward I in England. Jordan skillfully brings to bear all his background in administrative history to highlight the difficulties faced by the abbots in maintaining their abbeys' position: both were skilled in jurisdictional matters, securing rights and assets. Here, one of the main themes of the book comes to the fore, namely the financial security of Saint-Denis versus the somewhat precarious position Westminster found itself in from time to time. The succession also saw both men involved in complex diplomacy, negotiating around the disputed territories still held by the English crown in France.

Although one of the central themes of Jordan's argument is the importance of relics and saintly kings to both monasteries, the spiritual side of life is not examined in detail. Certainly, in his analysis of Mathieu's and Richard's backgrounds, he points out the differences between the roles of the two abbots in their respective institutions. The abbot of Saint-Denis played a large liturgical role in the life of his monastery in contrast to the abbot of Westminster, who by the thirteenth century had withdrawn from community life to a great extent. But it is only in passing that he acknowledges that the activities of the abbots in serving their kings and the material life of the monastery might have a negative impact on the the spiritual life of the monks and the quotidian routine of the community. Richard, at least, was criticized for allowing standards to drop at Westminster, but Jordan's analysis of the problem focuses more on his asserting of his rights as head of an exempt house and issuing statues for dependent houses than it does on life at Westminster itself. The analysis of the reform of the leper hospital of St. James, Westminster, was fascinating but left this reviewer, spoiled no doubt by the detail of Eudes Rigaud's visitation register for thirteenth-century Normandy, wanting more.

Unfortunately, Jordan has not been well served by his publishers in the matter of production. This reviewer was pleased to see the inclusion of figures to illustrate his argument, especially important when dealing with the material culture of the abbeys, but less pleased that the reproductions of Richard de Ware's seal and the Cosmati pavement in particular are not sufficiently detailed to support the author's excellent descriptions.

Issues of production aside, this is a work that could only be written by a scholar who has spent a career examining the intricacies of medieval government in the often turbulent years of the thirteenth century. As such, the reader is well served by Professor Jordan's excellent book.