The Black Cistercians: The Reactions of Black Monks to Bernard of Clairvaux and the Challenges of Increased Competition

Abstract

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Black Monks possessed more works by Bernard of Clairvaux than the Cistercians themselves. This situation has historically been taken as evidence for the Black Monks' great admiration for Bernard's spiritual message. Based on a comparison of booklists from Southern Germany, England, and the Southern Low Countries, this article argues that the reality was more acomplicated. In the Southern Low Countries, the Black Monks studied Bernard's works and for a while attempted to counter the pull of Clairvaux by becoming more like the Cistercians themselves. In England and Southern Germany, where Bernard posed less of a threat, the Black Monks were significantly less interested in his writings.