Aelred was born in 1109, into a family who had long been the treasurers of the shrine of Cuthbert of Lindisfarne at Durham Cathedral. While still a youth, he was sent for education in upper-class life to thecourt of King David of Scotland, son of Queen Margaret. The king’s stepsons, Simon and Waldef, were his models and intimate friends. But after intense disillusionment and inner struggle, Aelred went to Yorkshire, where he became a Cistercian m…