Writing and the Administration of Medieval Towns: Medieval Urban Literacy I ed. by Marco Mostert and Anna Adamska (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Writing and the Administration of Medieval Towns: Medieval Urban Literacy I ed. by Marco Mostert and Anna Adamska Nicholas Brodie Mostert, Marco and Anna Adamska, eds, Writing and the Administration of Medieval Towns: Medieval Urban Literacy I (Utrecht Studies in Medieval Literacy, 27), Turnhout, Brepols, 2014; hardback; pp. xvi, 366; 26 b/w illustrations; R.R.P. €90.00; ISBN 9782503549590. This volume addresses ‘institutional’ or ‘civic’ literacy through a collection of ‘articles discussing the production, uses, and preservation of records for the purposes of municipal administration’ (p. 4). Several areas of contribution to scholarship stand out. Firstly, the very particularity of the contributions goes some way to helping the reader spot what is geographically or chronologically particular, and what is more commonly European. Secondly, this volume puts a wide range of research on European archives, towns, and literacy into English. Thirdly, the researchers present many methodological propositions that will have broader application beyond their own particular studies. Finally, there is an excellent and consistent focus on the surviving written word: its production, use, destruction, storage, survival, and how it has been and can be studied. Some urban exemplars open the collection. Inger Larsson examines the shift from runic to Latin script in Swedish towns, highlighting early literacy. Geertrui Van Synghel explores the relationship between town and region in ’s-Hertogenbosch, suggesting that rural–urban dynamic influenced the production and keeping of records. Hannes Obermair suggests the Alpine towns were in a unique ‘creole’ cultural border zone worthy of further study. José López-Villalba’s insightful study of Castilian urban chanceries would make a good reference paper for scholars contemplating medieval and early modern town archives. Jeroen Benders examined the north-eastern Low Countries, introducing the archival prospects and particularities of the region. Katalin Szende situates medieval Hungarian towns within wider Western European historiographical concerns, providing a welcome focus on the materiality of written sources. Agnieszka Bartoszewicz surveys record-makers and record making in small Polish towns in connection with universities and legal culture. Part II of the volume focuses on urban archives as ‘places of power, memory, and secrets’. Here, a variety of case studies explore a range of issues that will generally be of interest beyond their particular settings. Andreas Litschel explores oral forms of communication in a period of documentary proliferation, arguing that archival developments stem from systemic and procedural modes, rather than necessarily being a demonstration of increasing urban governance and control. Hannes Lowagie looks at political [End Page 199] motivations behind the copying, circulation, and preservation of particular documents in Ghent. It nicely complements the preceding paper, similarly drawing attention to the processes of archive formation that do not conform to teleological narratives of the rise of government. Sarah Rees Jones charts civic literacy in England, and argues that a greater comparative approach is needed for future studies. Michael Jucker focuses on urban secrecy, linking surviving archival collections to their political context. Christoph Weber illustrates how secrecy and confidentiality were normal elements of urban business in Italian Communes. Bastian Walter examines cedulae inclusae in the Burgundian Wars in terms of manipulation of events, shared policies, and the fostering of trust and reciprocity. In Part III, the focus shifts to the litterati. Branka Grbavac examines the professional formation of notaries in Dalmatia, draws interesting conclusions about the shifting composition in notaries’ backgrounds, and highlights regional links with north-central Italy. Ágnes Flóra focuses on the notaries of Transylvania, arguing that there is evidence of continuity in practices through the medieval and early modern periods, and points out how the notary was an important local official with duties and responsibilities that extended significantly beyond the role of a clerk. Marco Mostert then concludes the volume with a welcome discussion of schools and education. Nicholas Brodie The University of Tasmania Copyright © 2014 Nicholas Brodie