Votre recherche

This study delves into the history of the Rogation feast, examining its origin, evolution and role in the creation of community identity in 5th and 6th century Gaul. Adopting a cross-approach between history and anthropology highlights the importance of this ritual for the communities of the period and the narrative surrounding it, as orchestrated by the bishops of Gaul and by various actors. By examining the corpus of sources relating to the first Rogations at this period, we discover how this feast served as an apotropaic ritual and collective penance to cope with various difficulties, such as epidemics and droughts, first in the Rhone valley and then throughout Gaul. Thus, the narrative surrounding this festival and how it fostered community adhesion are at the heart of this study. Broader questions, such as the development of collective practices including fasts, prayers and processions, and the way in which the Rogation narrative connected with biblical origins and became rooted in the episcopal sphere, are also put forward. These observations lead us to conclude that this festive ritual, as a testing ground for all social classes, served as a vehicle for creating stronger, more enduring communities. Indeed, it forged a sense of belonging through shared practices and experiences, resulting in the creation of a conventus and an ecclesiological consensus. Nevertheless, this vision is primarily that of the bishops, and as this study is also concerned with individual and community experiences, therefore we also analyze the feast as a space for negotiation and conflict. In short, this research sheds light on how this ritual went beyond its initial role to become an essential element of Gaul’s cultic landscape. It offers a fascinating insight into how Rogations shaped community identity and served as a catalyst for social cohesion in a crucial period of Christian history in Gaul.

Near the end of the 7th century, in the anglo-saxon world, Aldhelm of Malmesbury published his opus geminatum, the Prosa and Carmen de uirginitate. He dedicated his work to the nuns of the double monastery of Barking, particularly the abbess Hildelith. The De uirginitate is a treaty on virginity, which includes a theoretical part and catalogs of virginal figures found in hagiographical as well as in Biblical sources. Historiography has tended to underestimate the role of these catalogs within the treaty, portraying them as a mere florilegium without logic. This dissertation will propose that the virginal figures mentioned in the catalogs served as exempla. More specifically, we propose that these characters are exemplary figures whose function is to mirror the theoretical part of the De uirginitate. Ald-helm’s treaty will then appear to possess a double function, which is to defend the double monas-teries and the nuns’ authority in an increasingly hostile environment as well as to serve as a guide to sexual renunciation.

Abstract This thesis focuses on the prevention of early childhood accidents in the Middle Ages. Through the study of three compilations of miracula, we will analyze the thematic of the child that they present. These compilations are the Miracles of the Blessed Virgin by Gautier de Coincy, the Miracles of Nostre-Dame de Chartres by Jean le Marchant and the Rosarius. In this study, we will look at the diversity of normative discourses surrounding this theme. These analyze allow us to take stock of the precautions surrounding children in the Middle Ages. We conclude that the Miracles of Nostre-Dame de Chartres are not representative of the general miracula corpus, cause the miracula it contains present a preventive character more focused on the physical dangers faced by the child.

Between the second half of the10th century and the beginning of the 11th century, the Old English poem Judith was written in one of the great monastic centers of the Anglo-Saxon world. This poem, based on the biblical text of the Book of Judith, is the result of the meeting of traditional biblical material and the heroic Anglo-Saxon poetic tradition. From this encounter emerges a work celebrating biblical history and the moral teachings it carries, as well as the values of Anglo-Saxon aristocratic culture and heroism. The poem Judith is therefore a strong example of cultural adaptation of biblical material. This thesis is concerned with this question of cultural adaptation, but even more with that of the coexistence of different traditions and cultural references within the Old English poem Judith. Throughout this thesis, it will be a question of determining the nature of this coexistence, namely how is it articulated? Does the poem present a case of hierarchization between these different cultural references? Or would it be fairer to speak of cultural pluralism and parallelism? Finally, how important is the historical context of the 10th and 11th centuries in the development of this poem? Following our analysis of the poem and its historical context we will demonstrate that Judith is a work of cultural parallelism where each cultural reference is presented without the need for hierarchy. In addition, we will demonstrate that the Judith is the result of changes in Anglo-Saxon society between the 9th and 11th centuries and the political and military instability caused by conflicts between Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians.

This thesis studies the charters of donations of two monastic establishments of the Ile-de-France in the twelfth century: the priory Saint-Martin-des-Champs and the abbey Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre. This research concerning 160 ecclesiastical charters is based on the analysis of the social and religious relations that follows from the gifts offered by French royalty and aristocracy to these two monasteries. The overall objective is to highlight that the practice of donation plays a central role during medieval society and that it has engendered, perpetuated and consolidated religious and social interactions in linking them to the ideological framework of the ecclesia. The first stage of this research examines the anthropological and medieval historiographies of the gift and on the practice of donation in the Middle Ages. Then, we establish the historical context on the Île-de-France region during the reign of Louis VI, Louis VII and Philippe II, so between 1108 and 1223. The last step analyzes the practice of donating to The Middle Ages from a social point of view, among others the relations that are established by repeated donations between aristocratic families and the two monasteries under study. We also investigate the religious ideology surrounding the gift as a means of apprehending the salvation of the soul for the actors who, by this practice, are running the salutary spiritual mechanisms for their redemption. Finally, we address the global implications that affect the whole of medieval society, including public ceremonies and donation confirmations by the aristocratic and religious elite.

Après une période d’effervescence économique et de relative autonomie, les élites rurales de la Galice wisigothique se replient sur elles-mêmes durant la seconde moitié du VIIe siècle. À la suite de ce repli, de nouvelles formes de monachisme et d’ascétisme se repandent parmi les élites et les populations. Ces monachismes sont fermement ancrés dans leurs paysages religieux, lesquels ont été consolidés par les aristocrates depuis le IVe siècle. Par l’utilisation de sources littéraires et des résultats de récentes fouilles archéologiques sur des sites tels que Castromao dans Celanova ou encore Santas Augas, nous relevons les interrelations entre les aristocrates, la population locale, les autorités religieuses institutionnelles, les moines et les moniales, en portant une attention particulière au paysage religieux et les réalités imposées par les terrains accidentés des montagnes du nord-ouest de l’Hispanie. Il ressort de notre recherche que les ermites et les monastères s’appuyaient sur les traditions d’un lieu afin de mieux s’intégrer aux populations locales, avec lesquels ils entretenaient des relations dynamiques. Ce travail s’intéresse également à la transformation de communautés rurales en monastères. Ces transformations étaient souvent motivées par des désirs d’autonomie et de protection du patrimoine du groupe. Ces conversions éparpillées ont mené à une fédération d’abbés cherchant à s’unir sous une même règle, la regula monastica communis, qui cherche plus à assurer la cohésion interne de la communauté que sa rigueur spirituelle.

Malgré l’abondance d’études à propos de la liturgie féminine mérovingienne, la présente recherche a pour particularité de prendre les textes hagiographiques comme point de départ à sa réflexion. Nous tenterons alors d’analyser les limites de l’hagiographie féminine mérovingienne quant à la représentation de la liturgie qui est opérée, principalement, par les saintes et leur communauté. Aussi, nous entreprendrons de comprendre comment ces différentes formes de liturgie sont abordée dans les Vies. Pour ce faire, nous avons une démarche à la fois quantitative et qualitative. Une définition au sens large de la liturgie, et une lecture systématique des sources du corpus, nous a mené à pouvoir établir des micro et macro-catégories pour les différents actes et pratiques liturgiques se trouvant dans les Vies. Nous avons ensuite pu quantifier ces micro-catégories afin de nous pencher à la fois sur la fréquence de ces actes dans les Vies du corpus et sur la présence des gestes, larmes et émotions lors de la pratique liturgique. Le volet qualitatif, quant à lui, se concentre sur la place narrative des actes et pratiques liturgiques dans les Vies de notre corpus. Pour ce faire, nous avons repéré des éléments narratifs communs à toutes les Vies afin de pouvoir les étudier de manière simultanée. Ensuite, nous abordons l’efficacité liturgique des saintes en nous penchant sur les miracles. Pour finir, nous analysons l’apport du geste, des larmes et de l’émotion dans la pratique liturgique des femmes saintes et de leur communauté.

La présente étude s’articule autour du concept médiéval de l’historia et de la production hagiographique et historiographique qui s’y rattachait, dans la Gaule des VIIe et VIIIe siècles. La recherche récente sur les hagiographies politisées du VIIe siècle suggère que ces oeuvres pouvaient être porteuses d’une réflexion normative sur le système de valeurs et les comportements de l’élite dirigeante franque. Les stratégies mises en place pour assurer l’adhésion de l’audience aux propos des hagiographes, conjuguées à la fonction médiatrice de ces Vitae et à la conscience de l’autorité monastique qui s’en dégagent constituent le point de départ de la présente contribution. Celle-ci s’intéresse à un texte historiographique de la fin de l’époque mérovingienne, le Liber Historiae Francorum, et s’attache à déterminer dans quelle mesure un discours sur les normes sociales concernant l’exercice du pouvoir se manifeste aussi, dans cette mise en récit de l’histoire des Francs. Dans une approche stylistique comparative, l’analyse des stratégies narratives mobilisées par l’auteur du Liber Historiae Francorum, en parallèle avec d’autres textes historiographiques et hagiographiques mérovingiens, met en lumière les codes de comportements considérés comme désirables, au début du VIIIe siècle, au sein de l’élite dirigeante. Le Liber Historiae Francorum présente en effet des exempla de bons et de mauvais souverains, à travers la valorisation, dans les attitudes et comportements de ces personnages, des vertus chrétiennes et de certains idéaux de gouvernance. Une telle lecture d’un texte a priori historiographique permet d’ouvrir des pistes de réflexion concernant le rôle et l’influence qu’ont pu avoir certains monastères gaulois dans l’élaboration d’un discours normatif concernant l’exercice du pouvoir chez les Francs.

Through a study of the exegetical works of various masters associated with the University of Oxford between 1229 and 1267, we attempt to describe a freer environment than the one provided by the Université de Paris, which had prohibited the teaching of Aristotle’s libri naturales in 1210 and 1215. Robert Grosseteste, Richard Fishacre, Simon of Hinton and Roger Bacon articulate a conception of knowledge and the value of philosophical activity that seems to favour a more peaceful reception of the Greek philosopher, since the practice of literal exegesis legitimizes the speculations about nature to which this activity gives rise. This thesis attempts to understand the connections made by thinkers of the young University of Oxford, through their practice of exegesis, between Revelation and profane knowledge, and to see how their idea of theological inquiry evolved in the 13th century. We show that for the Oxford masters, answers to questions about Scripture are provided by natural philosophy and that all forms of profane knowledge, therefore, are seen as necessary, while always in the service of faith.

This study aspires to place thirteenth-century Iceland more fully within the historiographical debate on the individual in the Middle Ages, which has tended to focus on continental Western Europe. It interrogates the perception that the ancient Icelanders had of themselves in relation to the notion of individualism. In turn, it seeks to identify the sustained relationship with the collective, to determine if the Icelanders could conceive and define themselves beyond group structures or membership. Analysis of the content of the sagas of Icelanders (Íslendingasögur), a literary genre specific to Iceland, makes it possible to formulate a history of mentalité for this purpose. The notion of honor, a central theme in the texts, serves to evaluate the degree of individuality accorded the ancient Icelanders. The various dimensions of honor as expressed in the sagas are then dessected to answer this question. Honor is first considered in its relation to reputation. The importance of the idea of reputation as well as the process by which it is established is then observed. Analysis of how honor and its pursuit are motivating themes in the sagas are then considered. Finally, honor is perceived under the theme of the perception of oneʼs dignity and its social implications.

In the 6th century, in the kingdom of the Burgundians, Avitus of Vienne composes a letter for his sister, the nun Fuscina. This consoling and eulogistic artwork is called De consolatoria castitatis laude. This text generates in us an understanding of the particular context of the virgo in the Christian society of Late Antiquity. Regarding the text, the purpose of the book is to show to the monacha that the virginal choice represents a way of escape and freedom, a reality that the spouse is unaware of. The duties of marriage, the dangers of motherhood, the troubles of the century, the widowhood and the mourning are all unknown to the virgin because she excludes herself to worldly obligations. The use of the Bible and several patristic references shape the legacy of religious mentalities which inspires Avitus in making an oriented speech on the virgo’s socio-religious distinctness.

Although the field of memory studies is well-developed in medieval history, the role of gender in the construction of memory is only just beginning to be integrated. This M.A. thesis considers the relationships among gender, memory and history at the monastery of San Salvatore/Santa Giulia in Brescia (ca. 8th and 9th centuries). These three concepts help to expand our understanding of the place memory occupied in the monastery and its historical context, a function reinforced by the primacy of monasteries in the management of memory and the crafting of history within the Carolingian Empire. The Liber memorialis is the primary source for this study. The document, written from 856, contains lists of names of persons belonging to the prayer community and liturgical texts. It transmits ritual practices related to intercession for the dead as well as the names of people who are part of the abbey’s prayer community. We also seek to understand how the Liber memorialis served as a means to craft representation and the perpetuation of different levels and logics of real and ideal communities: the local and imperial aristocracy, the imperium, and the ecclesia. In this study, we will place the Liber memorialis of Brescia within the wider ideological context of time.

Through an approach that seeks to link the question of the culture of war to the awareness of the social, economic and political dimensions of war, this study highlights the construction of the figure of the landsknecht through the prism of the practices of these German mercenaries and the representations of French contemporaries. To identify this dominant figure of the Renaissance, it is a question of circumscribing the strategies implemented by the lansquenets, i.e. the arsenal of symbols, speeches and behaviours to which the members of this group refer, and to confront them with the discourses of the French military and civilians in order to apprehend the perception they have of the landsknechte and the behaviours they develop towards them. The dialectic between the practices of the Lansquenets and the French representations of them illustrate the profound transformations of the French monarchy at the dawn of the Modern Era and reveals a society's apprehension of alterity.

This master's thesis analyses the institutional transformations of the Institut d'études médiévales of the Université de Montréal between 1942 and 1968. To do so, we focus on the effects of the Quiet Revolution on the Institut d'études médiévales, an institution of higher learning founded by the Dominican Order in 1930. Inspired by the Nouvelle Théologie outlined by Marie-Dominique Chenu, the Institute embraces a doctrinal raison d'être and uses scientific know-how to achieve it. By adapting the historical-critical method to infer the teaching of Thomism, the Institute represents an interesting religious-scientific amalgam to understand the effects of the secularization of the Université de Montreal on its structures, its culture, and its institutions. We describe the journey of this institution through La Grande Noirceur, the Quiet Revolution, and the secularization of the university’s Charter. Through the analysis of the archives of the Université de Montreal and the Canadian Province of the Dominican Order, we describe the institutional history of the Institut d'études médiévales according to the evolution of its hopes and of its functions at the university. Through the analysis of its mission statements, we describe how the Institute adapts to keep pace with the structural and cultural evolution within Quebec’s Quiet Revolution.

Charles the Bald’s reign was a period of political and ideological transformations for the carolingian royalty. The troubles with the Breton and Spanish march along with the external raids are probably the sources of tension which have captured the most attention from medievalists. The so-called armorican emancipatory quest or the personal and familial ambitions of the septimanian and iberian magnates are still cited as evidences of the weakening of Carolingian political power following the 843 treaty of Verdun. By focusing on the king’s conflict resolution policies in these two territories, apparently hostile to his power, this study wants to establish wheter the tensions in the marches were as complex and irremediable as the primary sources suggested. By comparing the field policies visible in the royal charters, we noticed that theses troubles were not fundamentally different from those present elsewhere in the kingdom. The strategies employed by the king shows that the royalty had the means to overcome these obstacles and to affirm his political supremacy. Noticeably, these oppositions do not seem to be so particular. The political and economic issues that they were impliying were reflecting the main political concerns of the Carolingian kings following the 840-843 civil war. It was important to them to promote their divine legitimacy as well as appearing as the only political choice for the kingdom’s elites.