Imagining Religious Leadership in the Middle Ages: Richard of Saint-Vanne and the Politics of Reform

261 Pages·2015·4.65 MB·English

by  Steven Vanderputten

(cid:2)
IMAGINING RELIGIOUS
LEADERSHIP IN THE MIDDLE AGES

IMAGINING
RELIGIOUS
LEADERSHIP IN
THE MIDDLE AGES
RICHARD OF SAINT- VANNE AND
THE POLITICS OF REFORM
Steven Vanderputten
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Ithaca and London
Copyright © 2015 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in
a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be
reproduced in any form without permission in writing
from the publisher. For information, address Cornell
University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street,
Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2015 by Cornell University Press
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Vanderputten, Steven, author.
Imagining religious leadership in the Middle Ages :
Richard of Saint- Vanne and the politics of reform /
Steven Vanderputten.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8014-5377-9 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Richard, Abbot of Saint- Vanne, -1046.
2. Abbots— France— Biography. 3. Religious
leaders— France— Biography. 4. Monasticism and
religious orders— France— History— Middle Ages,
600–1500. 5. France— Church history—987–1515.
6. Christian leadership— Catholic Church— History.
I. Title.
BX4705.R4584V36 2015
271'.102— dc23
[B]
2014036379
Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally
responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent
possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials
include vegetable- based, low- VOC inks and acid- free
papers that are recycled, totally chlorine- free, or partly
composed of nonwood fibers. For further information,
visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.
Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Cover illustration: Richard reading the libellus for the
feast of Saint Vanne, from a manuscript made at
Saint-Vanne in the early 1020s. Verdun, BM 2, fol. 3v.
Copyright Bibliothèque Municipale de Verdun;
reproduced with permission.
(cid:2)
Contents
List of Illustrations vii
Preface ix
List of Abbreviations xiii
Introduction 1
1. Imagining Richard in Medieval and
Modern Historiography 14
2. Ecclesiastical Offi ce, Religious
Virtuosity, and the Apostolic Imperative 42
3. Imagining Saint-V anne 73
4. “Founder and Head of Many
Monasteries” 104
5. Converting the World 139
Conclusion 160
Appendix A: Chronology of Major Events
in Richard’s Life 165
Appendix B: The Life of Roding 169
Appendix C: Monastic Reading at Saint- Vanne 187
Appendix D: Overview of Richard’s Abbacies
Outside of Saint-V anne 197
Appendix E: Overview of Richard’s “Priors” 201
Appendix F: Overview of Richard’s Successors 203
Bibliography 205
Index 231

(cid:2)
Illustrations
1. Richard convinces Emperor Henry II not to make
profession as a monk 32
2. Reasons why Abbot Richard has been given the name of saint 35
3. Manuscript of the Life of Roding 55
4. Simeon of Syracuse 65
5. Remains of the abbatial church of Saint-V anne 84
6. Richard reading the libellus for the feast of Saint Vanne 93
7. Revised version of a document issued by Richard as abbot
of Saint- Peter’s abbey in Ghent 136
8. Beginning of the Life of Richard in the autograph manuscript
of Hugh of Flavigny’s Chronicon 146
9. Carus’s poem in honor of the Cross 193
Map of Richard’s abbacies, 1004–1046 164
vii

(cid:2)
Preface
The origins of this book lie in a previous re-
search project that resulted in the publication of my 2013 book Monastic Re-
form as Proc ess: Realities and Repres en ta tions in Medieval Flanders, 900–1100. That
study took a bottom-up approach to reform, looking at its impact on the in-
stitutional development, self-p erception, and social positioning of monastic
communities. Confronting medieval and modern commentaries with the pri-
mary evidence, I was able to question the validity of the common “fl ashpoint”
interpretation of reform as a radical departure from past practices and situa-
tions, and instead develop the hypothesis that reformist government was a
cumulative pro cess, with each achievement building upon previous ones.
While researching these issues, it became increasingly apparent to me
that much of our current thinking on monastic leadership in the tenth and
eleventh centuries is equally informed by anachronistic discourses. This is
particularly evident in the case of Richard of Saint- Vanne, a fi gure I high-
light at the beginning of Monastic Reform as Proc ess. Richard is traditionally
regarded as the principal fi gure in the “Lotharingian reform movement” of
the early eleventh century. But as I continued in my research I was struck by
the fact that he seemed something of an underachiever when compared to
other reformers of the time. While he is known to have done a great deal
for his main institution of Saint-V anne in Verdun, I argued that, elsewhere,
his role in realizing change in monastic h ouses was much smaller than that
played by his lesser- known successors. A key aspect of his approach to re-
form seemed to have been to put himself at the disposal of local bishops and
lay lords who were seeking, for various reasons, to initiate the pro cess of
reform. Richard would be there to realize the beginnings of that proc ess,
but in most cases withdrew himself soon thereafter, leaving it to local lead-
ers and their patrons to further pursue it.
These observations intrigued me. In light of the scant traces of Richard’s
achievements as a monastic administrator and of his apparently subservient at-
titude to local vested interests, his legacy as leader of an actual, institutionalized
reform movement began to look less and less secure. Local chroniclers tended
ix