Abbatial authority and the writing of history in the Middle Ages /
"This book argues that abbatial authority was fundamental to monastic historical writing in the period c.500–1500. Writing history was a collaborative enterprise integral to the life and identity of medieval monastic communities, but it was not an activity for which time and resources were set...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Oxford :
Oxford University Press,
[2023]
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | "This book argues that abbatial authority was fundamental to monastic historical writing in the period c.500–1500. Writing history was a collaborative enterprise integral to the life and identity of medieval monastic communities, but it was not an activity for which time and resources were set aside routinely. Each act of historiographical production constituted an extraordinary event, one for which singular provision had to be made, workers and materials assigned, time carved out from the monastic routine, and licence granted. This allocation of human and material resources was the responsibility and prerogative of the monastic superior. Drawing on a wide and diverse range of primary evidence gathered from across the medieval Latin West, this book is the first to investigate systematically how and why abbots and abbesses exercised their official authority and resources to lay the foundations on which their communities' historiographical traditions were built by themselves and others. It showcases them as prolific authors, patrons, commissioners, project managers, and facilitators of historical narratives who not only regularly put pen to parchment personally, but also, and perhaps more importantly, enabled others inside and outside their communities by granting them the resources and licence to write. Revealing the intrinsic relationship between abbatial authority and the writing of history with unprecedented clarity, this book urges us to revisit and revise our understanding of monastic historiography, its processes and protagonists in ways that require some radical rethinking of the medieval historian's craft in communal and institutional contexts"--Publisher's description. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Also issued in print: 2023. |
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource : illustrations |
| Audience: | Specialized. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780191836633 019183663X 9780192514691 0192514695 9780192514707 0192514709 |