Papers by Eric Shuler
Journal of Medieval History, Mar 1, 2010
Charlemagne's conquest and conversion of the Saxons was a protracted, bloody affair. Only 33 year... more Charlemagne's conquest and conversion of the Saxons was a protracted, bloody affair. Only 33 years of incessant warfare (772-804) subdued them and created a nominally Christian province. 1 Reflecting on those events in his biography of the conqueror, Einhard wrote that the defeated Saxons 'were joined to the Franks and made one people with them'. 2 As Timothy Reuter observed, 'it is not clear, incidentally, that the Saxons agreed. [.] Tenth-century Saxon writers often also showed considerable hostility to the Franks.' 3 That is hardly surprising in light of the tenacious Saxon resistance, which resulted in massive forced deportations and draconian laws before the Franks succeeded in crushing or co-opting the Saxon leadership. Debates concerning the status of Saxons and Franks began long before the tenth century. This article examines how, in comparison with non-Saxon sources like Rudolf of Fulda's Translatio sancti Alexandri, the Saxon authors of the accounts of the translations of the relics of Saints Vitus, Pusinna and Liborius (written between 836 and 909) used history, theology and hagiographical topoi to balance their new Christianity and loyalty to the Carolingians with pride in their ancestry and political ambition. From the story of their defeat and forced Christianisation, these authors attempted to salvage ideas of God's sovereignty, native agency and virtue (especially fidelity) as foundations for defining Saxon identity and to refute negative stereotypes. The areas which generated these translationes d Saxony's relatively prosperous southern region bordering other Carolingian peoples d made questions of identity especially acute. The authors wrote not only to promote the relics but also to address contemporary concerns. By articulating a positive identity, they constructed narratives to help the Saxon elites navigate their role in the political calculus of the Carolingian rulers. These illustrated both possibilities for and limits to the Carolingian empire's absorption of different ethnic groups. Moreover, the concerns of these authors led them to remarkable hagiographical innovations in grappling with paganism, conversion, miracles, social class and faith. Scholarship has generally concentrated on Saxon self-conceptions during Charlemagne's conquest or in the tenth century, but said little about the century in between. Before and during that conquest, the idea of a unified Saxon people was largely a fiction. Instead, regional groupings dominated within 'Saxony'. 4 Matthias Becher has suggested that Saxon identity began to acquire political force in the regnum Francorum et Saxonum of Louis the Younger (876-82), but this new process of ethnogenesis did not flower without royal and aristocratic interaction in the mid-tenth century (his primary interest). 5
This dissertation undertakes an investigation of a behavior practiced by kings and commoners alik... more This dissertation undertakes an investigation of a behavior practiced by kings and commoners alike: charity to the poor or, to adopt the term favored then, almsgiving (eleemosina). It covers early medieval England and Francia. This work makes two arguments, one for continuity and one for change. Early medieval Christians embraced their late antique inheritance of almsgiving, entrenching it as a sophisticated and robust system of personal and institutional charity. Nonetheless, early medieval charity evolved its own particular character in light of economic circumstances and especially the influence of the Carolingian and Anglo-Saxon programs of Christianization. Its distinctive aspect was its rejection of the idea of discriminating among poor recipients, and its strong push for universal giving. The dissertation falls into three parts. The first part outlines the place of almsgiving in medieval Christianity. Almsgiving was defined as an act of mercy, and the interior dimensions of it (including love) were key. The theology of charity revolved around a triangle of relationships between God, giver, and recipient; these relationships are best understood in light of anthropological insights into gift exchange. This theology differed from its patristic roots in its Chapter 1: Introduction
Journal of Medieval History, 2010
... sovereignty, native agency and virtue (especially fidelity) as foundations for defining Saxon... more ... sovereignty, native agency and virtue (especially fidelity) as foundations for defining Saxon identity ... their descendants' ideas, although, like them, I am concerned first with their contemporary setting. ... The recent past of intransigent paganism and resistance to Carolingian rule had ...
Website by Eric Shuler
Digital Projects by Eric Shuler
by Albrecht Diem, Matthieu van der Meer, Matthew Gillis, Abigail Firey, Irene van Renswoude, Clare Woods, Zachary Yuzwa, Marijana Vukovic, Columba Stewart, Eric Shuler, Manu Radhakrishnan, Matthew Ponesse, Abraham Plunkett-Latimer, Alexander O'Hara, Rob Meens, Sven Meeder, James LePree, Kathryn Jasper, Andrew Irving, Julie Hofmann, Zachary M Guiliano, Brendan Cook, Isabelle Cochelin, Susan Boynton, Courtney Booker, Daniel Abosso, Bruce Venarde, Corinna Prior, and Mariel Urbanus http://hildemar.org/
http://hildemar.org
Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a m... more http://hildemar.org
Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a major source for the history of monasticism, but it has long been accessible only in two obscure nineteenth-century editions of its Latin text. The goal of the Hildemar Project is to make the entire commentary more accessible for research and teaching purposes. The first step is to provide a fully searchable version of the Latin text along with an English translation. This translation is a collaborative effort of more than fifty scholars, including specialists in monasticism, Latin, manuscripts studies, and Carolingian history.
Currently a slightly revised version of the Latin text from Rupert Mittermüller’s edition [Regensburg, 1880] is available on the site. The translation of all seventy-three chapters – one for each chapter of Benedict’s Rule – is now complete.
The website also provides a complete list of the manuscripts of Hildemar’s Commentary (with links to manuscript catalogues and manuscripts available online) and a complete bibliography of scholarship on Hildemar and his work.
The next step in the project will be to improve the Latin text presented on the website by providing links to the different versions of Hildemar’s work. Users will be able to compare the (problematic) nineteenth-century edition with the original manuscripts. A long-term goal of the Hildemar Project is to provide a new edition of Hildemar’s Commentary that meets the standards of a critical edition but also capitalizes on the greater flexibility and customization available in a digital environment.
The Hildemar Project is a collaborative project that profits from the expertise of as many scholars as possible and is tailored to the needs and interests of its users. Any form of feedback, suggestions for improvement, identification of sources, or commentary on the Latin text are welcome. Please either use the Forum or contact us directly.
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Papers by Eric Shuler
Website by Eric Shuler
Digital Projects by Eric Shuler
Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a major source for the history of monasticism, but it has long been accessible only in two obscure nineteenth-century editions of its Latin text. The goal of the Hildemar Project is to make the entire commentary more accessible for research and teaching purposes. The first step is to provide a fully searchable version of the Latin text along with an English translation. This translation is a collaborative effort of more than fifty scholars, including specialists in monasticism, Latin, manuscripts studies, and Carolingian history.
Currently a slightly revised version of the Latin text from Rupert Mittermüller’s edition [Regensburg, 1880] is available on the site. The translation of all seventy-three chapters – one for each chapter of Benedict’s Rule – is now complete.
The website also provides a complete list of the manuscripts of Hildemar’s Commentary (with links to manuscript catalogues and manuscripts available online) and a complete bibliography of scholarship on Hildemar and his work.
The next step in the project will be to improve the Latin text presented on the website by providing links to the different versions of Hildemar’s work. Users will be able to compare the (problematic) nineteenth-century edition with the original manuscripts. A long-term goal of the Hildemar Project is to provide a new edition of Hildemar’s Commentary that meets the standards of a critical edition but also capitalizes on the greater flexibility and customization available in a digital environment.
The Hildemar Project is a collaborative project that profits from the expertise of as many scholars as possible and is tailored to the needs and interests of its users. Any form of feedback, suggestions for improvement, identification of sources, or commentary on the Latin text are welcome. Please either use the Forum or contact us directly.
Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a major source for the history of monasticism, but it has long been accessible only in two obscure nineteenth-century editions of its Latin text. The goal of the Hildemar Project is to make the entire commentary more accessible for research and teaching purposes. The first step is to provide a fully searchable version of the Latin text along with an English translation. This translation is a collaborative effort of more than fifty scholars, including specialists in monasticism, Latin, manuscripts studies, and Carolingian history.
Currently a slightly revised version of the Latin text from Rupert Mittermüller’s edition [Regensburg, 1880] is available on the site. The translation of all seventy-three chapters – one for each chapter of Benedict’s Rule – is now complete.
The website also provides a complete list of the manuscripts of Hildemar’s Commentary (with links to manuscript catalogues and manuscripts available online) and a complete bibliography of scholarship on Hildemar and his work.
The next step in the project will be to improve the Latin text presented on the website by providing links to the different versions of Hildemar’s work. Users will be able to compare the (problematic) nineteenth-century edition with the original manuscripts. A long-term goal of the Hildemar Project is to provide a new edition of Hildemar’s Commentary that meets the standards of a critical edition but also capitalizes on the greater flexibility and customization available in a digital environment.
The Hildemar Project is a collaborative project that profits from the expertise of as many scholars as possible and is tailored to the needs and interests of its users. Any form of feedback, suggestions for improvement, identification of sources, or commentary on the Latin text are welcome. Please either use the Forum or contact us directly.