Article outline

• 5.1General characteristics of writs
• 5.2The corpus of writs
• 5.3The protocol of writs
• 5.4Case study: Salutation–notification template
  • 5.4.1The first attestation of the template and its possible origin
  • 5.4.2Corroborating evidence from letters and social status of the correspondents
  • 5.4.3Genre evolution and the writs of Cnut the great
  • 5.4.4Writs by other social leaders
  • 5.4.5The incredible stability of royal writs
  • 5.4.6The switch to Latin
• 5.5Conclusions
• 5.6Coda: The afterlife of the template
• Notes