Jocelin of Brakelond and the power of Abbot Samson

Abstract

This article reconsiders a well-known narrative source from the beginning of the thirteenth century, Jocelin of Brakelond's Chronicle. Much of the value of this text has traditionally been seen in its intimate portrayal of Abbot Samson of Bury St Edmunds (1182–1211). Jocelin's account can be understood less as a depiction of Samson's life and character than of the workings of his power within the monastery and within broader East Anglian society, as seen in his management of opposition to his rule through the use of documentation and his access to the royal court. This suggests a different understanding of the position of the abbot of Bury in which he is depicted less as a great lord and more as a pragmatic and inventive politician.