1,004 research outputs found
Reformist hagiography : the life of St Roding of Beaulieu and the struggle for power in early eleventh-Century Lotharingia
This paper explores an example of âreformistâ hagiographic production in early eleventh-century Lotharingia by focusing on the Life of St Roding of Beaulieu, a small monastery in the diocese of Verdun. Until recently, this text was interpreted exclusively in terms of the scant information it provides on this institutionâs early medieval history and in terms of its ideological message regarding monastic discipline and leadership. By integrating the redaction of this text into the then-current regional geography and political context, this paper proposes a new approach to its interpretation and to the understanding of Beaulieuâs âmonastic reformâ in general. Close analysis of the narrative reveals that its redaction was inspired by specific issues relating to local and regional politics in the mid-1010s, and that parts of the institutionâs recent history were allegorically veiled behind the portrayal of Roding. However, rapid changes in power relationships rendered those aspects of the text outdated within a few years. This raises significant questions regarding the long-term relevance of such hidden stories and the degree to which their various ideological, political and other messages remained accessible to medieval audiences
The beginnings of a monastic reformer : the younger years of Poppo of Stavelot (Lotharingia, 978-1020)
This paper investigates the underlying mechanisms and different contexts which played a decisive role in the advancement of the pre-abbatial monastic careers of adult converts living in the eleventh century. Whereas most studies on these individuals have focused primarily on their abbatial careers, this article will consider the years preceding their attaining an influential monastic leadership position. Based upon the case of Poppo of Stavelot, traditionally regarded as one of the principal proponents of monastic reform in early-eleventh-century Lotharingia, this paper argues that the key factor leading up to a personâs nomination as abbot was not so much his religious reputation, extraordinary character, or even the result of his accumulated experience. Rather, the evolution of an individualâs pre-abbatial career depended to a large extent on how his social identity was perceived by others, as well as on the confrontation between his social capital and the concrete and short-term political context of the time
Group Formation in the Long Tenth Century: a View from Trier and its Region
Unpaginated version of book chapter published in Christine Kleinjung and Stefan Albrecht (eds.), Das lange 10. Jahrhundert â Struktureller Wandel zwischen Zentralisierung und Fragmentierung, Ă€uĂerem Druck und innerer Krise (Mainz, 2015), pp. 49â5
A saint, an abbot, his documents and her property: power, reform and landholding in the monastery of HombliĂšres under Abbot Berner (949â82)
This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03044181.2015.1026380#.VVnOaC73Q80.The monastery of HombliĂšres, after 949, when it was turned from a community of nuns into a
reformed Benedictine monastery under the rule of Abbot Berner, left a surprisingly large
amount of tenth-century written material, producing both a
Vita
and a
Translatio
of
HombliĂšres
â
patron saint Hunegund, as well as a large collection of charters. These
documents allow us crucial insights into how a small monastery managed its possessions
and its connections to patrons. This trail permits a closer view of strategies of landholding
than can be had with many West Frankish monasteries. This article argues that the
community at HombliĂšres acted over several decades to consolidate its lands in speci
fi
c
locations. By producing such extensive documentation of his activities, Berner both solicited
further donations for his monastery and protected its existing patrimony from potential threats.This work was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council through grant [AH/K502959/1]
Translation and Evolution: Byzantine Monastic Studies since ca. 1990
While monks were integral parts of the longâlasting Byzantine world, Byzantine monasticism and its study can be relatively obscure to nonspecialists, given the diversity of monastic forms practiced in the empire. This piece presents a brief primer on Byzantine monastic studies and evaluates key scholarship in this increasingly vigorous field. In particular, it assesses the major impact of critical editions and primaryâsource translation projects since the 1990s and 2000s, including both archival materials and hagiography. Furthermore, it evaluates the current state of the field and outlines several opportunities and directions for further research
Was Benedictine monasticism conservative? Evidence from the sermon collection of Jacques de Furnes, abbot of Saint-Berlin (1230-1237)
The failure of papal attempts to impose the governmental structures of the religious orders on Benedictine monasticism in the early thirteenth century has long been considered a consequence of a typically Benedictine independent attitude. More precisely, traditional scholarship adhered to the notion that the Benedictines resisted these initiatives because of their reluctance to give up judicial autonomy in favour of a supra-monastic form of organisation. By looking at a collection of sermons drafted by Jacques de Furnes, abbot of the Flemish abbey of Saint-Bertin, I aim to reconsider the above views. In so doing, I look at, respectively : Jacquesâs profile as a preacher ; the response of the community of Saint-Bertin to the papal reforms ; Jacquesâs involvement in papal monastic policy ; and finally, his role in the coordination of regional monasticism. As such, this study contributes to revising the current narrative on Benedictine institutional development in the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries.Le monachisme bĂ©nĂ©dictine Ă©tait-il conservateur ? Le tĂ©moignage de la collection des sermons de Jacques de Furnes, abbĂ© de Saint-Bertin (1230-1237).
LâĂ©chec des tentatives pontificales dâimposer aux ordres religieux des structures gouvernementales basĂ©es sur le monachisme bĂ©nĂ©dictin au dĂ©but du XIIIe siĂšcle a longtemps Ă©tĂ© considĂ©rĂ© comme la consĂ©quence dâune attitude dâindĂ©pendance typiquement bĂ©nĂ©dictine. Plus prĂ©cisĂ©ment, la recherche traditionnelle a adhĂ©rĂ© Ă lâidĂ©e que les bĂ©nĂ©dictins ont rĂ©sistĂ© Ă ces initiatives en raison de leur crainte de devoir renoncer Ă lâautonomie judiciaire en faveur dâune forme dâorganisation supramonastique. Sur la base dâun recueil de sermons rĂ©digĂ©s par Jacques de Furnes, abbĂ© de lâabbaye flamande de Saint-Bertin, je cherche Ă reconsidĂ©rer les vues prĂ©cĂ©dentes. Pour ce faire, jâexamine successivement le profil de Jacques comme prĂ©dicateur, la rĂ©ponse de la communautĂ© de Saint-Bertin aux rĂ©formes pontificales, lâimplication de Jacques dans la politique monastique des papes et son rĂŽle dans la coordination du monachisme rĂ©gional. Cette Ă©tude contribue ainsi Ă la rĂ©vision du discours actuel sur le dĂ©veloppement institutionnel bĂ©nĂ©dictin au XIIe et au dĂ©but du XIIIe siĂšcle.Was het benedictijnse kloosterwezen conservatief ? De getuigenis van de prekencollectie van Jacques de Furnes, abt van Sint-Bertijns (1230-1237).
Het falen van vroeg dertiende-eeuwse pauselijke pogingen om de bestuurlijke structuren van de religieuze orden aan de Benedictijnen op te leggen, werd lange tijd beschouwd als een gevolg van een typisch benedictijnse particularistische houding. Meer bepaald hielden historici vast aan het idee dat de benedictijnen zich tegen deze initiatieven hadden verzet omdat ze hun juridische autonomie niet wilden opgeven ten gunste van enige vorm van supra-monastieke organisatie. Via de studie van een prekencollectie opgesteld door Jacques de Furnes, abt van de Vlaamse Sint-Bertijnsabdij, tracht ik de bovenstaande opvattingen te herzien. Ik behandel achtereenvolgens respectievelijk : het profiel van Jacques als predikant ; de reactie van de gemeenschap van Sint-Bertijns op de pauselijke maatregelen ; de deelname van Jacques in het pauselijk monastiek beleid en zijn rol in de coördinatie van het regionale religieuze leven. Zodoende draagt deze studie bij tot de herziening van het huidige narratief omtrent de institutionele ontwikkelingen in het twaalfde-eeuwse en vroeg dertiende-eeuwse benedictijnse kloosterwezen.Belaen Johan. Was Benedictine Monasticism Conservative? Evidence from the Sermon Collection of Jacques de Furnes, Abbot of Saint-Bertin (1230-1237). In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 95, fasc. 2, 2017. Histoire MĂ©diĂ©vale, Moderne et Contemporaine â Middleleeuwse, Moderne en Hedendaagse Geschiedenis. pp. 219-248
Book Review: Planning in the Early Medieval Landscape, by John Blair, Stephen Rippon and Christopher Smart
This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in English Historical Review following peer review. The version of record Pickles, T. (2021). Planning in the early Medieval landscape [Review of the book Planning in the early Medieval landscape, by J. Blair, S. Rippon & C. Smart]. English Historical Review, 136(582), 1288-1290, is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/ehr/ceab213A book review of John Blair, Stephen Rippon, and Christopher Smart, Planning the Early Medieval Landscape (Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2020)
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