The Middle Ages have long been famous for spectacular forgeries. Until recently, however, these has been little detailed consideration of the cultural significance of forged texts. In The Making of Medieval Forgeries, Alfred Hiatt examines for the first time the function of forged documents in late medieval politics and society. This book explores not simply why forgeries were produced, but also the often successful role they played in substantiating personal and institutional histories. In whose interests was it to forge documents? What kinds of narratives were enshrined in forgery? And why did forgery so often escape detection?<BR>The Making of Medieval Forgeries argues that medieval forgeries were not simply acts of deception, but attempts to invest historical narratives with the authority of written record. Hiatt examines in detail cases of forgeries produced by and for monasteries, universities, and the English government itself, and finds that forgeries show a sustained and often creative engagement with the past.