changed from Anglo-Saxon to Norman but the foundation was still Christianity. 129 The process of colonisation—of change— needed to retain
continuity with the existing community in order to be successful.
A wealthy source from which to observe a feminine viewpoint, not just of
Norman integration but also of the continental impact, is through Christina of Markyate. 130 One of the aforementioned valued eremitical figures, Christina represents both the Anglo-Norman identity and the changes papal reforms of the 12 th century invoked. 131 Christina’s visions allowed her to be spiritually inspiring to the men around her, especially abbot Geoffrey of St Albans. 132 Her
contemporaries believed in her holiness which in turn led to her to be seen as a
commodity by which other church leaders could add prestige to their own churches. 133 Whilst this is a reminder of the use such Anglo-Saxon figures had
in the conjoining of the Anglo-Saxon Christian network, it also draws attention
to other concerns of the period regarding education’s perceived negative effect on the faithful. 134 Christina was an uneducated woman who used visions to exert influence and explain God’s will, embodying a new specifically female piety that grew from these concerns. 135
Papal reform wished to see a return to the purity of the primitive church
and set in motion a century of enhancing the church’s influence beyond just one’s private conscience. 136 Rather than renounce her vow of celibacy and
accede to her parent’s wishes Christina fled to take shelter with a hermit and
129 Chibnall, Anglo-Norman England, 1066-1166 , p. 214. 130 Christopher J. Holdsworth, ‘Christina of Markyate’, in Medieval Women , ed. by Derek Baker and Rosalind M. T. Hill (Oxford: Blackwell for the Ecclesiastical History Society, 1978), pp. 185-204 (p. 204). 131 Holdsworth, p. 204 132 Holdsworth, p. 185. See also Henrietta Leyser, Medieval Women : a Social History of Women in England, 450-1500 (London: Phoenix, 2002), p. 190. 133 Leyser, p. 202. See also Holdsworth, p. 203. 134 Leyser, p. 197. 135 Holdsworth, p. 201. 136 A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World , p. 165. See also, David Herlihy, Women, Family and Society in Medieval Europe (Providence, Berghahn Books, 1994), p. 156.
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