Books Fit for a King: The Presentation Copies of Martin Bucer's De regno Christi (London, British Library, Royal MS. 8 B. VII) and Johannes Sturm's De periodis (Cambridge, Trinity College, II.12.21 and London, British Library, C.24.e.5)

This article discusses the presentation copies of two sixteenth-century works, Martin Bucer’s De regno Christi and Johannes Sturm’s De periodis, both of which were sent in fine copies by Bucer to John Cheke in 1550. The covering letter that accompanied these books survives today at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, whilst the presentation copy of De regno Christi intended for King Edward VI is British Library, Royal MS. 8 B. VII. The circumstances surrounding these books, their production and transmission can be reconstructed in unusual and intriguing detail. This article presents several new and important discoveries, including the identification of the two presentation copies of Sturm’s De periodis mentioned by Bucer in his letter (today London, British Library, C.24.e.5 and Cambridge, Trinity College, II.12.21), as well as the tentative attribution of the binding of Royal MS. 8 B. VII to Bucer’s collaborator, the Strasbourg-based printer Remigius Guidon. An in-depth analysis of these artefacts and their codicological features confirms that TCC II.12.21 was intended for Edward VI, whereas BL C.24.e.5 can be identified, for the first time, as a book designed for and received by Princess Elizabeth. The dynamics governing the production and exchange of presentation copies between the Edwardian court and the Protestant reformers serve to paint a sharply focused picture of Bucer’s activities around 1550, that is, at a key moment of religious change in England

Rewriting the Gesta Normannorum ducum at Saint-Victor in the Fifteenth Century:Simon de Plumetot’s Brevis cronica compendiosa ducum Normannie

This article offers an analysis, edition, and translation of the Brevis cronica compendiosa ducum Normannie, a historiographical account of the dukes of Normandy and their deeds, written at the turn of the fifteenth century by the Norman jurist and man of letters, Simon de Plumetot (1371–1443). Having all but escaped the attention of modern scholars, this study is the first to examine and publish the Brevis cronica. It not only demonstrates that the work is of greater importance than its rather scrappy form might at first suggest, but it also looks to place the text within the broader context of Simon’s literary and bibliophilic practices, and to determine its raison d’être. In doing so, it argues that the Brevis cronica was perhaps created as part of a much larger historiographical project, namely an extended chronicle of Normandy, probably written in the vernacular, the text of which is now lost. By exploring these important issues, the article sheds new light on a wide range of topics, from early humanist book collecting to the writing of history in France in the later Middle Ages

Regionalizing rainfall at very high resolution over la Réunion island using a regional climate model.

23 pagesInternational audienceRegional climate models (RCMs) should be evaluated with respect to their ability to downscale large-scale climate information to the local scales, which are sometimes strongly modulated by surface conditions. This is the case for La Reunion (southwest Indian Ocean) because of its island context and its complex topography. Large-scale atmospheric configurations such as tropical cyclones (TCs) may have an amplifying effect on local rainfall patterns that only a very high-resolution RCM, forced by the large scales and resolving finescale processes, may simulate properly. This paper documents the capability of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) RCM to regionalize rainfall variability at very high resolution (680 m) over La Reunion island for daily to seasonal time scales and year-to-year differences. Two contrasted wet seasons (November-April) are selected: 2000-01 (abnormally dry) and 2004-05 (abnormally wet). WRF rainfall is compared to a dense network of rain gauge records interpolated onto the WRF grid through the regression-kriging (RK) technique. RK avoids the point-to-grid comparison issue, but produces imperfect estimates due to sampling, so its quality also needs to be tested. Seasonal rainfall amounts and contrasts produced by WRF are fairly realistic. At intraseasonal and daily time scales, differences to RK are more sizable. These differences are not easy to interpret in sectors where the rain gauge network is less dense and the quality of RK more uncertain, as over the eastern slopes of Piton de la Fournaise volcano where WRF seems to simulate more realistic rainfall than RK. Finally, the heavy rainfall associated with TC Ando on 6 January 2001, is documented. WRF shows weak disagreements with RK, indicating its capability to regionalize rainfall during extreme events

(Re-)Framing Bede’s <i>Historia ecclesiastica </i>in twelfth-century Germany:John Rylands Library, MS Latin 182

This article offers the first comprehensive study of Manchester, John Rylands Library, MS Latin 182, a twelfth-century codex formerly belonging to (and possibly produced at) the Benedictine Abbey of (Mönchen-)Gladbach in Germany. I begin with a full codicological and palaeographical analysis of the entire manuscript, before moving on to a discussion of its contents. These include the Venerable Bede‘s Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum and the Continuatio Bedae, as well as two hagiographical works copied at the end of the manuscript. I then propose a new possible context of reception for Bede‘s Historia ecclesiastica during the twelfth century, one that interlinked with the prevalent discourses on secular ecclesiastical lordship and monastic reform at Gladbach, as well as, perhaps, in Germany more widely. In doing so, I essentially argue for the possibility that the Gladbach scribes and their audiences may have used and understood the Historia ecclesiastica not only in the conventional context of history and historiography, but also (and perhaps equally important) as an example of the golden age of monasticism which during the later twelfth century was re-framed and re-contextualised as both a spiritual guide and a source of miracle stories.</jats:p

Poetry, punctuation and performance: Was there an aural context for Dudo of Saint-Quentin’s Historia Normannorum?

This article explores the possibility of an aural and/or performative context for the ­reception and dissemination of Dudo of Saint-Quentin’s Historia Normannorum. Scholarship to date has produced two main schools of thought concerning the Historia Normannorum’s target audiences during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, one of which discusses Dudo’s work in the capacity of a Latin school book, thereby emphasising its didactic and educational purpose, whereas the other identifies the main circles of reception at the courts of the Norman dukes and their peers, thus stressing the text’s potential for dynastic self-fashioning, ritual and display. Drawing on the primary evidence of the surviving eleventh- and twelfth-century manuscripts, and combining it with recent theoretical work concerning the different modes of literary communication, this article argues that these schools of thoughts are not mutually exclusive. Based on a detailed study of the manuscripts’ punctuation and mise-en-page (including their use of colour), the article showcases the Historia Normannorum as a “multimedia text” that rather naturally lent itself to being read and/or performed in an aural setting. Conceptualising Norman literature and historiography in such a way significantly enriches and transforms our understanding of literary and poetic culture in the Norman and Anglo-Norman worlds.Cet article examine la possibilité d’un contexte oral et / ou performatif pour la réception et la diffusion de l’Historia Normannorum de Dudon de Saint-Quentin. À ce jour, l’érudition se partage en deux courants de pensée concernant le public visé aux XIe-XIIe siècles, l’un considérant l’œuvre de Dudon comme un livre d’école en latin, en s’appuyant sur son objectif didactique et éducatif, l’autre s’attachant à identifier les principaux cercles de réception de l’œuvre à la cour des ducs normands et de leurs pairs, en mettant l’accent sur le pouvoir du texte à promouvoir la dynastie et ses rituels. En croisant les manuscrits des XIe et XIIe siècles et les récents travaux théoriques sur les modes littéraires de communication, l’article démontre que ces écoles de pensée ne sont pas exclusives l’une de l’autre. Fondé sur une étude détaillée de la ponctuation et de la mise en page (ainsi que sur l’usage de la couleur), l’article présente l’Historia Normannorum comme un texte multimédia qui se prêtait à la lecture et / ou était performatif dans un cadre oral. Concevoir la production documentaire normande et l’historiographie de cette manière enrichit et transforme de manière significative notre compréhension de la culture littéraire et poétique des mondes normands et anglo-normands.Questo articolo prende in esame la possibilità dell’esistenza di un contesto orale e / o esecutivo per la ricezione e la diffusione dell’Historia Normannorum di Dudone di Saint-Quentin. Ad oggi, l’erudizione si divide in due correnti di pensiero relative al tipo di pubblico interessato dall’opera nei secoli XI e XII : l’una considera l’opera di Dudone come un libro scolastico in latino, basandosi sulle sue finalità didattiche ed educative ; l’altra si sofferma sull’identificazione delle principali cerchie di ricezione dell’opera presso la corte dei duchi normanni e dei loro pari, mettendo l’accento sul valore del testo ai fini della promozione della dinastia e dei suoi rituali. Mettendo in relazione tra loro i manoscritti di XI e XII secolo e i recenti lavori teorici sulle modalità della comunicazione letteraria, l’articolo dimostra che una scuola di pensiero non esclude l’altra. Fondato su uno studio dettagliato della punteggiatura e dell’impaginazione (così come sull’uso dei colori), l’articolo presenta l’Historia Normannorum come un testo multimediale che si prestava alla lettura e / o era eseguito in un contesto d’oralità. Concepire in questo modo la produzione documentaria normanna e la storiografia arricchisce e trasforma in maniera significativa la nostra comprensione della cultura letteraria e poetica dei mondi normanno ed anglo-normanni