The Royal Touch: Sacred Monarchy and Scrofula in England and France

work by Bloch

Also known as: “Les Rois Thaumaturges: Étude sur le caractère surnaturel attribué à la puissance royale, particulièrement en France et en Angleterre”(Show More)

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July 13, 2026

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Marc Bloch's The Royal Touch: Sacred Monarchy and Scrofula in England and France examines the historical belief that the touch of royalty could cure scrofula, a tuberculous swelling of the lymph glands, also known as the "king's evil". This practice, adopted by English monarchs like Edward the Confessor and French rulers such as Philip I, involved elaborate ceremonies and the presentation of touched coins as amulets. Charles II of England is said to have touched over 90,000 people, and the custom persisted in France for another century. Bloch's work delves into the creation and endurance of this powerful political myth surrounding monarchical healing abilities.123

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Marc Bloch
…France et en Angleterre (1924; The Royal Touch: Sacred Monarchy and Scrofula in England and France) is a densely documented study of the production and dissemination of a long-lived, powerful political myth of monarchical healing power. The second, Les Caractères originaux de l’histoire rurale française (1931; French Rural History: An…
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…France et en Angleterre (1924; The Royal Touch: Sacred Monarchy and Scrofula in England and France) is a densely documented study of the production and dissemination of a long-lived, powerful political myth of monarchical healing power. The second, Les Caractères originaux de l’histoire rurale française (1931; French Rural History: An…
Read More