High Middle Ages Research Articles

The Dominican Robert Kilwardby (ca. 1215–1279) as schoolman and ecclesiastical official

This article, by reworking the most recent specialist contributions, presents a fresh overview of the scholastic and ecclesiastical contributions of the Oxford Dominican Robert Kilwardby (ca. 1215–1279). After highlighting the current research problem of the ‘canon’ in Medieval philosophy, the article turns to Kilwardby as a positive example of a ‘non-canonised’ thinker from the high Middle Ages – one who is thus thoroughly researched in a specialised or niche compartment, but who remains mostly unacknowledged in mainstream or ‘canonised’ Medieval philosophy. The article thus reappraises Kilwardby intending to accentuate his scholastic and ecclesiastical contributions beyond the confines of a particular niche. Kilwardby’s often provocative combination of Aristotelian natural philosophy and Augustinianism as a schoolman, and his central yet problematic role in the Paris-Oxford condemnations of 1277 as an ecclesiastical official, are henceforth reappraised.Intradisciplinary/interdisciplinary implications: As a millennium-long discourse, Medieval philosophy functions in a Venn diagrammatical relationship with Medieval history, Church history, patristics and philosophy of religion. Whenever ‘mainstream’ or ‘canonised’ Medieval philosophy is impacted from the niche research, it may well have implications that these closely related disciplines could take note of. Such is the case in this ‘hourglass’ reappraisal of life and work of Robert Kilwardby as a scholastic thinker and an ecclesiastical official.

Придворні танці в культурі західно-європейського високого середньовіччя

The purpose of the article is to analyze the historical context of the court dance formation as a cultural phenomenon of the High Middle Ages, to identify its characteristic features and to find out the role and significance in the establishment of a civilizational model of behaviour in the European cultural space. Methodology. The historical-chronological, cultural and analytical approaches are applied to highlight the historical context of the court dance formation. The scientific novelty. For the first time, the court dances of the West European High Middle Ages are analyzed in the context of the then worldview concepts. Conclusions. Court dances, as a characteristic feature of the knight courteous culture of the High Middle Ages, the playful phenomenon and at the same time the pious action, contain deep sacral meaning and with the help of gestures (gestus), the plasticity of hands and bodies represent the requirements of courteous theology – worship of the Lady of the Heart, which is actually identified with the attitude towards the Mother of God. In court dances, as a result of “feudalization of love”, the roles of participants in the dance action are distributed according to which the Beautiful Lady becomes an object of worship, and the knight in non-verbal form testifies to her his “love service”. This distribution lays the foundation for the development of pair dances as a new phenomenon in the history of choreography. The growth of the generalization of flexible movements and codified gestures (gestus), their abstractness, allowed us to present in more detail the models of behaviour in interpersonal communication. And therefore, court, courteous dances demonstrated the “correctness” of the aesthetic behaviour of knights as a statement of the ideals of beauty in relations between the sexes. A pious and respectful attitude to the Beautiful Lady, emphasizing the moral and spiritual component in the relationship between a woman and a man-knight contributed to the increase of the social status of women. And the chivalrous ethos, whose visible representation was court dances, became the basis of a civilizational model of behaviour that was gradually formed in the European space.

Технологии изготовления и химический состав металла по результатам анализов методом масс-спектрометрии с индуктивно связанной плазмой предметов торевтики развитого средневековья из Томского Приобья

В статье дан морфологический анализ предметов торевтики поясных наборов и конских уздечек из курганов Басандайского могильника и могильника у устья Малой Киргизки. Погребения из курганов №27 и 77 из могильника у устья Малой Киргизки по погребальному обряду и найденным в них предметам являются «элитными». Это воины-всадники. В первом из них найдена портупея, возможно, с частью пояса, а во втором – пояс, украшенный позолоченными бляхами. Эти предметы указывают на высокий социальный статус погребенных людей. Всего из двух могильников на анализ было отобрано 11 предметов. Для изучения технологий изготовления металлических предметов торевтики применен метод масс-спектрометрического анализа с индуктивно связанной плазмой на 61 элемент (ИСП-МС). По химическому составу выделены четыре типа медных сплавов: медь, бронза свинцовистая, бронза оловянно-свинцовистая, латунь. Часть предметов позолочена с применением амальгирования. Возможно, для позолоты использовался также сплав золота с серебром типа «электрум». Выявлены конструктивные особенности металлических частей воинских поясов и уздечек, а также способы их изготовления.

Hereford and Lincoln Cathedral Libraries during the High Middle Ages

In this study evidence is brought forth from large treasuries of scholastic manuscripts at Hereford and Lincoln that challenges R. M. Thomson's assessment of the importance of those collections during the High Middle Ages. As it turns out, as early as the twelfth century those libraries contained copies of the most important works in the developing Parisian theological curriculum, and the earliest copies of those works may reside in these and other English cathedral libraries. Manuscripts preserving early versions of the Sentences are especially interesting, since they make it possible to study the evolution of Peter Lombard's thought during his lifetime.

La xarxa viària catalana a l’Alta Edat Mitjana. Una aproximació des de la cartografia

Après avoir exposé quels étaient les principaux types de voies existant entre le IX et le XIIeme siècles et les principales caractéristiques de ces chemins, les auteurs tentent d'aborder ce que l'on sait au sujet des différents aspects du réseau de voirie du Haut Moyen-Age en Catalogne. Cela se fait à partir de l'analyse des sources diverses et presque toujours grâce a l'aide complémentaire de la carro­graphie. Les auteurs font mention de voies qui portent des noms différents (vies francisques, vies cardoneses, etc.) et parlent aussi des chemins les plus importants en relation avec les marchés de l'époque et l'activité mercantile. De même, ils ratta­chent l'existence des voies a la répartition des domaines monastiques, aux itinérai­res que suivaient ceux qui portaient les clochettes mortuaires, à l’existence de for­tifications des premiers siècles médiévaux (les cluses) et a la manière dont s'organisait le peuplement dans les différents villages. Ils essaient aussi de mieux connaître les caractéristiques et l'ancienneté des chemins a l'aide des limites des paroisses, des affrontements au sujet de terrains, de la distribution, sur un terri­toire donné, des lieux où vivaient les membres d'une confrérie et finalement a tra­vers l’analyse des caractéristiques et de la réparation des patronymes avant l’an 1000.

Evolució i expressió de la sexualitat medieval

Parcourir l'expression de la sexualité humaine tout au long du Moyen-Age a permis d'y apporter de nouvelles interprétations. A la méfiance envers le sexe, état de pensée propre au Haut Moyen-Age, succède le Bas Moyen-Age, époque qui accepte la sexualité comme une fonction nécessaire pour la procréation, influencée en cela par la médecine arabe, la physique aristotélicienne et les exposés philoso­phiques et théologiques dérivés d'abord de la scholastique et, plus tard, du nomi­nalisme. Une vision théologique de la fonction sexuelle s'impose: elle est considérée bonne si elle s'applique dans l'unique fin de procréer. De là dérive une obsession pour la conduite (l'utilisation) du sperme. Sont considérées comme correctes les expressions sexuelles qui garantissent son passage du corps de l'hom­me vers celui de la femme, où il devra germer. L'utilisation de la sexualité qui n'a pas cette finalité est considérée contre nature, en commençant par l'homosexualité masculine et en y incluant toutes les formes qui gaspillent le sperme (masturba­tion masculine, bestialité). Les relations sexuelles considérées comme normales se définissent par l'hétérosexualité exogame, qui n'a pas de rapport avec des groupes ethno-religieux différents et utilisant, uniquement, la pénétration vaginale. Cette relation doit se dérouler dans le cadre d'un mariage chrétien à la manière dont il s'est imposé au milieu du Moyen-Age. On réserve toujours les parcelles dominan­tes a l'homme et les domestiques à la femme. Elle perd progressivement de la con­sidération au Bas Moyen-Age, poussée tant au niveau de la féodalité que des groupes urbains, par l'agnation sur le premier né masculin et par le discours inte­llectuel contraire.

La cronología de la “Historia Wambae”

Les interprétations historiques et littéraires de l'«Historia Wambae» partent toujours du principe que l'oeuvre a été écrite peu après les faits qu'elle relate, autour de 673-4 après J.C. Le seul justificatif de cette date est le composant panégyrique qui est attribué au texte, mais ce qu'il y a de certain c'est que ce composant n'est concrété dans aucune des formes reconnues par la tradition litté­raire ancienne. Tout au contraire, des éléments beaucoup plus objectifs qui ratta­chait la pièce à des mesures juridico-politiques que Julien prétend imposer quand il monte sur le trône en 681, et précisément afin d'éviter les chemins par lesquels s'étaient défait le royaume de Wamba, ont passé inaperçus. Cet enchaînement se vérifie (tant du point de vue forme} comme idéologique bien que ce soit ce deu­xième point que nous exploiterons en premier lieu): 1) en comparant l'Histoire ave les actes du concile XII de Tolède et avec la législation de Erwigius, 2) en analysant les contradictions entre la monographie et les sources qui, en toute sûre­té, furent rédigées au fur et à mesure des événements de 673: la loi militaire pro­mulguée par Wamba et le nommé Indicium, cette même année, un document qui avalise l’esprit de ce décret royal et qui fut rédigé par le propre Julien. Le report de l'oeuvre a l'an 681 (au moins) ouvre à nouveau la question sur les raisons qui conduisirent à sa rédaction -on trouvera quelques suggestions à ce propos-, apporte un nouvel élément de jugement autour des circonstances obscures qui entourèrent la déposition de Wamba, et, en dernier ressort, place l'écrit de Julien dans cette vaste tradition historiogaphique du Haut Moyen-Age qui a utilisé la manipulation du passé pour justifier et faire la propagande du présent.

Social structuration in medieval rural society based on stable isotope analysis of dietary habits and mobility patterns: San Juan de Momoitio (Biscay, north Iberian Peninsula)

A total of 93 individuals, of which 34 were infants, from San Juan de Momoitio graveyard (9th to 12th centuries) were analyzed to explore social changes in a peasant community in the northern Iberian Peninsula within the historical evolution of the Middle Ages. The study consisted of human palaeodiet characterization and mobility patterns based on δ13C, δ15N, δ18O, and 87Sr/86Sr isotope analyses. Carbon and nitrogen values showed a staple diet derived from husbandry based on the consumption of animal protein (pig, poultry and sheep/goat) and cereals (millet and wheat). The increase in the consumption of millet rather than wheat during the High Middle Ages is noteworthy. The change in dietary pattern coincided with the transformation of the landscape from dispersed farmsteads to the foundation of a village, leading to landscape reorganization. This new situation resulted in the gradual abandonment of San Juan de Momoitio church and the graveyard. Oxygen and strontium isotopes show that most individuals were of local origin except for only two individuals. Strontium isotopes also recorded the population distribution after the village foundation and the subsequent landscape arrangement, reflecting the relative movement of individuals towards higher hillsides. Additionally, the oxygen isotopes of teeth recorded climate changes throughout the time of the settlement, suggesting variation from warmer climate conditions during the first occupation period towards colder climate conditions in the last period. Nitrogen and oxygen isotope composition also contributed to a better understanding of breastfeeding and weaning practices affecting infant peasants in the Middle Ages.

New constraints on the medieval repopulation process in the northern Iberian plateau from the full vector archaeomagnetic dating of two hearths at La Pudia site (Caleruega, Burgos, Spain)

The progressive southward reoccupation of territories of the Iberian Peninsula by the Christian kingdom against the Muslims from the eighth century AD onwards is a well-known process. However, there are few well-dated sites of this period, especially in the northern plateau of Spain. Here we report the full vector archaeomagnetic dating of two hearths from the archaeological site of La Pudia I (Caleruega, Castile-and-Leon, Spain). Both hearths were archaeomagnetically investigated in order to date their last use linked to the abandonment of the site. The archaeomagnetic direction was analysed through thermal (TH) and stepwise alternating field (AF) demagnetization of the natural remanent magnetization (NRM). Pseudo-single domain slightly substituted magnetite was identified as the main magnetic carrier. Thellier–Coe type absolute archaeointensity determinations were carried out on 48 samples from both hearths. The mean directions obtained were independently analysed both at sample and at specimen levels yielding very similar results but statistically distinguishable at 95% confidence level. The archaeomagnetic dating was carried out by comparing the mean directions and archaeointensity values of both hearths with the SHA.DIF.14k geomagnetic field model. The results obtained are in agreement with the archaeological context, suggesting that the abandonment of the archaeological site took place between the end of ninth century and the first half of the eleventh century AD. These results provide one of the first evidences of independently well-dated sites of the Christian conquest in the Iberian northern plateau at the onset of the Early–High Middle Ages.

Provenance of Medieval atlantes in the Ribe Cathedral, Denmark, based on geological and palaeontological investigations

An atlante is a corbel figure (or pillar support) sculpted in the form of a man carrying a heavy load. A group of well-preserved stone carved atlantes from c. 1250 carrying the vaults of the Ribe Cathedral in western Jylland, Denmark, represents the antique titan Atlas and are up to 150 cm high. Their obviously foreign origin has so far remained uncertain. The figures are made of a relatively soft, sandy limestone. A new nannofossil analysis of small chips of the chalky and sandy limestone narrows the age of the stone down to the late Campanian (Late Cretaceous). Upper Campanian sandy limestones of this type are exposed in the Münster Basin in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. The Campanian Baumberger Sandstein in this region fits well with the atlantes in terms of lithology and age and is the only possible provenance of the stone. Around 1250 the Baumberger Sandstein was used for baptismal fonts as far north as Ostfriesland at the Dutch-German border, and it is a novel finding of this investigation that it even reached Denmark. The stone was most likely floated along the rivers Lippe and Rhine and shipped via the Wadden Sea to Ribe. It is a remarkably long transport distance for historic commercial stone transportation in continental northern European art in the High Middle Ages.

Chronology of a Medieval complex from the Papskoye settlement (forest-steppe of Western Siberia)

A large number of imported items found in the occupation layers of archaeological sites in the Trans-Urals and Western Siberia suggest that, in the Middle Ages, these regions were on the periphery of trade routes and were involved in global historical events. In this connection, the dating of material culture provides details about trade and economic, as well as social and political, aspects of the life of communities of the past. One of the new archaeological sites allowing the dynamics of material culture to be traced is a multi-layered Papskoye settlement. This site constitutes a fortification having two areas and powerful defensive lines, located on top of the right-bank terrace of the Iset River. In this study, structures attributed to different chronological periods were analysed and artefacts were collected (7th century BC — 14th century AD). Nevertheless, collections of items dating back to the High Middle Ages (late 9th — early 14th centuries) are the most representative as they most objectively reflect the historical and cultural processes that took place in this region. Most of the finds of arrowheads, elements of cloth-ing and horse harnesses, as well as household items, in the Papskoye settlement belong to this time. In this study, we used a comparative-typological method followed by the identification of the types of things. In order to establish the most accurate chronological framework, as well as to determine the primary centres for the production of certain items, we applied the method of analogy using a wide range of material culture from the neighbouring territories, which include Altai, Mongolia, Volga region, Kama area, the Caucasus, the north of Western Siberia, etc. In this study, we identified two chronological phases within the High Middle Ages using the materials of the Papskoye fortified settlement: 1) late 9th — 12th centuries; 2) late 12th — early 14th centuries. They correspond to the period when the carriers of the Yudino and Chiyalik cultures inhabited this site. In addition, a large number of direct analogies with the neighbouring territories suggests that the territory of the forest-steppe Trans-Urals was located on the periphery of trade routes through which imports came from Southern Siberia, Volga Bulgaria and the Upper Kama area.

Gradu kmeti ili iobagiones castri kao element društvene strukture Hrvatskog Kraljevstva

Autor razmatra elemente društvene strukture Hrvatskoga Kraljevstva u razdoblju ranoga i razvijenog srednjeg vijeka, usmjerujući posebnu pozornost na društvenu ulogu, status i obveze sloja profesionalnih ratnika („specijalista za nasilje“) koji se u vrelima pojavljuju pod nazivima (hrvatski) gradu kmeti odnosno (latinski) iobagiones castri. Podlogu rasprave čini raščlamba odgovarajućih odredaba Vinodolskoga zakona, spomenika koji ponajbolje osvjetljuje vlastitu percepciju pripadnika te društvene skupine. K tomu se raščlanjuju elementi društvenoga znanja kako ih zrcali diskurs različitih pisanih spomenika poglavito 13. stoljeća, kao što se nastoji definirati položaj pripadnika ovoga sloja pojmovima današnjih društvenih znanosti.

Zooarchaeology, medieval economy and culinary practices: The case of Petra Castellana castrum (South of France)

Through the work of historians and zooarchaeologists, French medieval butchery, its regulations, skills, prices and products offered for sale are well known, especially from the 13th and 14th centuries. Nevertheless, the consumer of the high Middle Ages as well as his culinary practices are relatively unknown. This zooarchaeological study of Petra Castellana castrum (11th−12th centuries AD), in particular bone density and animal utility indices, has shed light on the supply systems and culinary practices of an area of the site. The contribution of textual sources has also been decisive in contextualizing and interpreting the results. This paper puts forward the preparation of two different types of meat cuts: (1) a preliminary cut favouring equally sized pieces of meat, followed by (2) a cooking cut which, on the contrary, was adapted to the different kinds of meat.

Bergen’s role in the medieval North Atlantic trade

North Atlantic trade in the high Middle Ages was centred on Bergen. The Bergen connection was important to the North Atlantic islanders and townsmen who specialized in trading with them, but up to the early fourteenth century did not count for much in Bergen’s total trade. This changed when larger assignments of Icelandic stockfish were sent to Bergen from the 1340s and reexported via the town’s Hanseatic settlement, the later Kontor. During the fifteenth century fish exports from the North Atlantic to Bergen declined sharply as the English increasingly fetched their fish directly from Iceland, and Hanseatic merchants from Hamburg and Lübeck followed in their wake to Iceland and the more southerly islands. Yet, in the author’s opinion, Hanseatic trade with the North Atlantic from Bergen was not reduced to the degree that has often been assumed. And it should not be overlooked that Bergen had economic relations with the North Atlantic islands outside the Hanse.

Two Masters of Surgery in Parma during the Middle Ages.

During the Middle Ages, Parma, in Northern Italy, undoubtedly represented a landmark for surgical science and practice all around Europe. Around the same period the Salernitan Medical School, already famous since the high Middle Ages, reached its whole scientific role. Due to the importance reached by the School, for centuries several physicians throughout Europe, aiming for an international fame, told they were “Salernitan”. One of the most famous examples is represented by Roger Frugardi, or Ruggero Frugardo, or Ruggero da Parma (before 1140 – about 1195), who was widely known as “Rogerius Salernitanus” (Roger of Salerno), meaning that his scientific success was a consequence of the affiliation to the Salernitan Medical School. Roger wrote an important book, the “Practica Chirurgiae” (Surgical Practice), also known as “Rogerina”, edited and published by his pupil Guido “the young” of Arezzo. It was the first Handbook of Surgery in the post-Latin Europe, containing important innovations, such as the very first description of a thyroidectomy, thus influencing surgical practice until late Renaissance. The Roger’s pupil Rolando dei Capelluti was the successor and extensor of his Master’s work. In his work he particularly developed the cranial surgery and the study of neurological diseases (e.g., epilepsy or mania). His masterwork, known as “Rolandina”, also influenced European surgery for centuries. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Коллекция железных наконечников стрел из собрания музея «Раритет» в Бишкеке

Purpose. The authors considered and analyzed various types of iron arrowheads that are kept as a part of weapon col-lection in the private museum “Rarity” in Bishkek, in the Kyrgyz Republic. We traced primary events related to the history of studying types of iron arrows that were detected at different times by scientists and modern collectors of antiquities on the territory of Tian Shan and Jetysu. Results. The armament objects of long-range combat are classified according to their formal signs. All iron arrowheads from the collection studied were divided into particular groups and types by characteristic features of their section and form of feather. On the basis of our formal and typological analysis, we put forward several suggestions about possible functionality of the types of iron arrowheads that we singled out. Some arrowheads were intended for defeat of lightly-armed hostile warriors, whereas other types were created for archery against heavily-armed adversaries, who were defended by metal or chain armor. Still other arrowheads were universal and could be applied for shelling both warriors non-protected with metal armor and warriors who had those defensive means. Conclusion. Our analysis of iron arrowheads from this collection can be used further for characterizing long-range combat weapon complexes of ancient and medieval warriors of several ethnic groups which resided on the territory of Tian Shan and Jetysu in the boundaries of the Kyrgyz Republic during the Hunnic times and following historical periods of the Early and High Middle Ages.

Universal Chronicles in the High Middle Ages. Edited by Michele Campopiano and Henry Bainton. York Medieval Press. 2017. xii + 315pp. £60.00.

Universal Chronicles in the High Middle Ages. Edited by Michele Campopiano and Henry Bainton. York Medieval Press. 2017. xii + 315pp. £60.00.

Les agglomérations secondaires et leur topographie religieuse dans le Gévaudan du haut Moyen Âge. Hagiographie, transformations territoriales et construction chrétienne de l’espace

Dans l’Antiquité tardive et le haut Moyen Âge, les mutations territoriales entraînent une redéfinition de la hiérarchie des villes. Dans l’ancienne cité des Gabales, la capitale antique, Javols, perd le siège épiscopal au profit de Mende, vicus qui a profité des reliques du saint évêque Privat. Ainsi une capitale devient agglomération secondaire tandis qu’une agglomération secondaire est promue entre la fin du VIe siècle et la fin du VIIIe siècle. Les principales sources écrites qui témoignent de ces changements sont des sources hagiographiques (Passion de saint Privat, Vie de saint Hilaire). Elles mentionnent également subrepticement des agglomérations fortifiées, présentées comme des sites refuges pour une population chrétienne menacée. Une confrontation avec la documentation archéologique montre une réalité différente et invite à interroger les rapports entre stylisation hagiographique et réalité matérielle dans une période de transition.

Sword Pommels of Transitional Types from the Time of Social Transformation in 12th-Century Wrocław, Poland

This paper presents a discussion of sword pommels found during archaeological excavations in the Old Town of Wrocław. The area under investigation, located on the left bank of the Odra River, is where the chartered town had developed a characteristic organised layout in the 13th century. Finds from the High Middle Ages, and among them, the analysed pommels, testify to an earlier settlement in this region. The pommels were excavated from the earliest strata related to this initial settlement phase. They represent forms of Oakeshott’s types B and E (Geibig’s types 15 and 19 respectively) which could be dated to the 12th century

Czech Medieval Codifications: The Code of Vladislav (1500)

Legal culture in the Czech lands was based on customary law. The nobility did not trust codification efforts of the Bohemian kings Přemysl Ottokar II and Wenceslaus II. Wenceslaus' codification efforts were finally executed only in the sphere of special laws. Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Roman Emperor, tried to publish the Maiestas Carolina code in 1355. The last law code was written under King Vladislav II Jagiellon in 1500 (“Vladislavské zřízení zemské” / “The Code of Vladislav”). The essay follows the article “Czech Codifications in the High Middle Ages” published in 2014 and closely introduces the Vladislav Code.