Adam of the Road

Vining has been praised for the accuracy of the historical details in Adam of the Road. Adam’s adventures demonstrate what life looked like for a minstrel in the late 1200s and are deeply rooted in his historical context.

Adam and his father are minstrels. In 13th-century England, minstrels were traveling performers who traveled from town to town to entertain the common people in town centers. Some minstrels, like Roger, were employed by the nobility and performed in courts. Minstrels were one of the few forms of entertainment available to the common people who could not read. A minstrel could be a juggler, an acrobat, a storyteller, a musician, or a combination of these roles. Minstrels were valued not only for the entertainment they provided but also for the news they brought from different places. The Latin root of “minstrel” is “ministerium,” meaning service.

Throughout the book, Adam visits manor houses or mentions villagers working for their lords, providing “boon days,” or days of additional unpaid labor for the lords, often at busy times during the harvest. These are aspects of feudalism, a system of government based on local administration that prevailed in England from the 10th to the 13th century. The feudal system was based on a vassal’s service to his lord, who gave him “a fief (a piece of land), along with a promise of military and legal protection, in return for a payment of some kind” (Cartwright, Mark. “Feudalism.” WorldHistory.org, 2018). When Adam enters a town where all the people are working in the lord’s fields, they are fulfilling their payment to their local lord.

Vining briefly mentions multiple historical figures, landmarks, and events. Each of the locations Adam visits is a landmark, such as St. Alban’s, St. Swithin’s, and St. Giles Fair. When Adam and Roger stay in Westhumble Lane, he listens to an old man talk about a previous king signing “the Great Charter” (117). This is a reference to King John’s 1215 signing of the Magna Carta, a document drafted by rebellious barons that ensured the English people’s right to practice religion freely, reform laws and the justice system, and hold rulers accountable for their actions. The Magna Carta served as the forerunner for important political documents throughout history and was the first document to promote the right to petition and the concept of due process.

Adam also listens to the older men around him speaking about the current king, Edward Longshanks, also known as Edward I. Edward succeeded his father, Henry III, and took the throne in 1274. Toward the end of the book, Adam learns that King Edward I summoned the first Parliament that included barons, clergy, knights, and townspeople. This is also historically accurate; Edward I was the first king to include common people in his parliaments.

Adam spends the last chapter of the book in the town of Oxford, the “city of spires.” During the time of the novels, Oxford College consists of only two schools; it began to expand after King Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris in the mid-12th century. The town became known as the “city of spires” because of the gothic church and school spires that towered above the town (“History.” University of Oxford).

Beyond significant historical touchstones, Vining also includes small details that add to the authenticity of the book. She mentions the popular practice in the Middle Ages of swearing by one’s patron saint, the symbolism in coats of arms and their representation of particular families, and the single coin that was minted in England during the time of this book. Vining grounds her story in the realism of 13th-century England by including key historical figures, locations, and details in her work.