William Kibler – Medieval France. An Encyclopedia

Автор: William Kibler
Название книги: Medieval France An Encyclopedia
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Культура и Искусство
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

The first single-volume reference work on the history and culture of medieval France, this information-filled Encyclopedia of over 2,400 entries covers the political, intellectual, literary, and musical history of the country from the early fifth century to the late 15th. The shorter entries offer succinct summaries of the lives of individuals, events, works, cities, monuments, and other important subjects, followed by essential bibliographies. Longer essay-length articles provide interpretive comments about significant institutions and important periods or events. The Encyclopedia is thoroughly cross-referenced and includes a generous selection of illustrations, maps, charts, and genealogies

Medieval France: An Encyclopedia is an introduction to the political, economic, social,
religious, intellectual, literary, and artistic history of France from the early 5th century to
the late 15th. We have sought to present in a single, convenient reference work aspects of
medieval France that are otherwise treated in separate scholarly publications. The subject
matter is complex and vast, and we therefore make no claims for completeness. We hope,
however, to have provided a balanced, informative, and up-to-date reference work that,
although directed primarily toward students and the general public, will also provide a
useful starting point for scholars in various disciplines.
Entries range from about fifty words to over 3,000. Shorter entries provide ready
reference; longer entries explain and interpret major institutions, writers and works,
movements, and monuments. The encyclopedia offers a cross-disciplinary focus that
promotes the integration of materials, provides a synthetic perspective, and encourages
immediate connections among fields often held in isolation. Though scholars using this
volume will be familiar with the basic information and bibliography contained in articles
that cover their areas of expertise, they will find the articles in fields other than their own
to be indispensible for general orientation, interpretation, and bibliography. The index at
the end of the volume and cross-referencing at the end of each entry are designed to
enhance the cross-disciplinary perspective.
Both “medieval” and “France” require definition. By “medieval,” we mean that vast
period between the fall of the Roman Empire, with the decline or loss of such Roman
institutions as schools, roads, towns, and law—in short, civilization as we conceive it—
and the advent of the Renaissance in late 15th-century France. It is a period in which a
new and specifically French civilization and identity were forged, in which new
institutions were conceived and developed: the universities, the feudal monarchy,
scholastic philosophy, Romanesque and Gothic art, western monasticism and mysticism.
Paris, which under the Capetians became the capital of a growing dynasty, was the
intellectual, artistic, and political center of late-medieval France. But “France” itself is an
elusive geographical area during the period in question. For purists, it is no more than the
Île-de-France, the region immediately surrounding the capital. But for our purposes, it
extends roughly from Brussels to the Mediterranean, from Switzerland to Brittany, and
briefly even into Britain: all the area that was dominated by the new court culture that
grew out of the Carolingian and Capetian intellectual centers. Individuals who played a
dominant role in medieval French political, artistic, or intellectual life, and who are
associated chiefly with French cultural centers, whether or not they happened to have
been born within the boundaries of contemporary France, are included—for example,
Peter Lombard, Thomas d’Angleterre, Thomas Aquinas, Hugh of Saint-Victor, Robert de
Courçon, among many others.
Entries are arranged alphabetically. In the listing of literary works, preference has
been given to the names of the authors, whenever known, rather than to titles of works
Thus, Perceval (Conte du Graal) will be found under CHRÉTIEN DE TROYES and the
Gesta Francorum under AIMOIN DE FLEURY. The form of the individual’s name
chosen to alphabetize has frequently proven problematic. At the conception of the
project, it was the editors’ intention to use the modern French form for all proper nouns,
but it quickly became clear that both scholars and the general public would be
disoriented, and perhaps shocked, to have to look under GUILLAUME LE BÂTARD for
the familiar William the Conqueror, or PIERRE LE CHANTRE for Peter the Chanter.
The compromise reached was that we would seek to include that form of the name most
familiar to scholars in historical disciplines and to the general public. Thus, all kings of
France and England, dukes of Burgundy, and many members of the royal families are
found under their Englished form (Charles the Bad, Philip the Bold, Henry II); most
theologians and philosophers are anglicized (Philip the Chancellor, William of
Champeaux, Thierry of Chartres); while all vernacular authors are found under the usual
French form of their name (Marie de France, Thomas d’Angleterre, Peire Cardenal). In
all cases, however, the user should try the following equivalencies when the name is not
where initially sought: Gautier=Walter; Guillaume/ Guilhem=William; Jean=John;
Matthieu=Matthew; Philippe=Philip; Pierre/Peire=Peter.
A further complicating factor was whether to alphabetize under the given name or the
cognomen. As the article PERSONAL NAMES makes clear, cognomens began to be
used only in the 11th century and were generally loconyms common to all people living
in a given place, changing as the person changed residence. The personal name remained
the individual’s chief identification. But, by the 14th century, family names as we know
them slowly began to become fixed, so that cognomens vied with personal names in
providing identification. Furthermore, many individuals from this period are more readily
identified by their cognomens than their personal names (Villon, Deschamps,
Ockeghem). So it was decided that individuals whose primary period of activity preceded
the 14th century were to be identified by their personal names (Peter of Blois, Renaut de
Beaujeu, William of Sens), whereas those who were active principally or wholly in the
14th and 15th centuries are to be found under their cognomens (La Marche, Olivier de;
Ockham, William of; Ferrières, Henri de). A few exceptions were made, always with the
intention of providing the most accessible and familiar entry (Bernard Gui, Christine de
Pizan, René d’Anjou), and usually where the cognomen is still clearly a loconym. The
user is encouraged to seek first under the given name, since fully 90 percent of the
individuals found herein are so alphabetized, and secondarily under the cognomen.
In the case of anonymous literary works like the Chanson de Roland or Roman de
Sidrac, we have taken the “Chanson de” or “Roman de” as a generic indicator, rather
than as a part of the title; these works are listed as ROLAND, CHANSON DE and
SIDRAC, ROMAN DE. French cities are listed under their French spellings, which in only
a few cases differ from their English forms (Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg).
The volume includes maps, genealogies, and illustrations to add a visual dimension
that will help clarify individual topics and inform the reader. The index at the end of the
encyclopedia is intended to guide users to topics that either lack their own entry or are
cited repeatedly throughout the volume. The bibliographies appended to the entries are
not intended to be exhaustive but instead provide key reference materials that will enable
the student and scholar to move quickly and confidently into the matter at hand. They are
generally organized as follows: primary sources (editions, then translations where
appropriate), followed by secondary scholarship, cited alphabetically by author.
A work of this magnitude requires the collaboration and cooperation of many persons.
Our deepest gratitude goes in the first place to the many colleagues who graciously gave
of their time and knowledge to write the articles that are the very soul of this enterprise;
their names are listed both at the beginning of the volume and after the articles they
contributed. In addition to writing key articles, several colleagues provided special
assistance in drawing up lists of entries and defining coverage for specific areas: Matilda
T.Bruckner for vernacular romance, William W.Clark for art history, Margot Fassler for
music, Alan E.Knight for theater, Whitney S.Stoddard for art history, and Roy
S.Rosenstein for Occitan poetry. Other colleagues generously contributed some of the
photographs used to illustrate this volume: Rebecca Baltzer, Karen Gould, and Joan
Holladay. The editors wish to express deep appreciation to Whitney S.Stoddard for
making his superb collection of photographs available and to Oberlin College for
permitting reproduction of photographs from the Clarence Ward Photograph Collection.
Joseph Romano was most helpful in connection with the Ward photographs. The editors
wish to thank the following libraries and museums for permission to reproduce items in
their collections: Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College; Archives Nationale,
Paris; Bargello, Florence; Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana, Florence; Bibliothèque de
l’Arsenal, Paris; Bibliothèque Municipale d’Arras; Bibliothèque Municipale, Douai;
Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale
University; British Library; Cleveland Museum of Art; The Cloisters, New York; Louvre,
Paris; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; National
Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Pierpont Morgan Library, New York; Walters Art
Gallery, Baltimore. Also, Joel Herschman, Virginia Jansen, and the French National
Tourist Office permitted reproduction of photographs. Help with typing, bibliography
checking, and computer applications was provided by Elisabeth Barret, Mary-Alis Kibler,
Jennifer A. Zinn, Thelma Roush, and Terri Mitchell. For timely help in art history, we are
particularly grateful to Stacy L. Boldrick and Karen Gould. Finally, this work would
never have seen the day without the suggestions, insights, and careful copyediting by
Gary Kuris of Garland Publishing. Also at Garland, Helga McCue was instrumental in
the early production stages of the encyclopedia, while Eunice Petrini’s patience, good
humor, eagle-eye, and gentle wisdom proved invaluable in the final editing and
assembling of the volume. The University of Texas and Oberlin College provided
research assistance to the editors.