Gerbert of Aurillac lived at the end of the millenium preceding our own. He was born an obscure peasant. But by virtue of his excellent education, political acumen and good fortune, he ascended to the highest post in Christendom, becoming Pope Sylvester II at the end of the tenth century. His meteoric rise in power helped bring about the genesis of "the legend of Gerbert" after his death. A renowned teacher, Gerbert was accomplished in all the liberal arts and distinguished himself in nearly every field of human endeavor. It was in the context of his role as a teacher and a mathematician that he acquired a reputation as an organbuilder. Among his contributions in that area is a treatise on pipe measurements which is attributed to him in a 12th-century manuscript. Gerbert's reputation as an organbuilder has rested mainly, however, not on any actual deeds he may have accomplished, but on the testimony of William of Malmesbury, a 12th-century English historian. William completed the legend surrounding Gerbert's life, which began in the eleventh century. In the course of his narrative, William credited Gerbert with having built a hydraulic organ in the cathedral of Reims. William's account of the organ is examined in its context, perhaps for the first time. This study reveals that William's account must be dismissed as pure fancy. A feature unique to this study is the use of sources from a variety of disciplines. In order not to present a one-dimensional (and therefore false) appraisal of Gerbert as an organbuilder, we have examined him in his various roles as letter-writer, mathematician, scientist, politician and churchman. Only when we know Gerbert in the context of his life and times can we make a valid assessment of his contribution to the art and craft of organbuilding.

<p> Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century saint, penetrated the Italian political scene ranging from local politics to the papal seat of Pope Gregory XI. Scholars have depicted her success as a living saint on her relationship with her confessor, Raymond of Capua. However, through analysis of her letters and background texts, it is clear that Catherine created a network of families and individuals even before she met Raymond in 1374. To what extent did this network that she actively created contribute to her success as a public figure in medieval Italy? What impact did this group of people have on Catherine and what impact did Catherine have on the network of followers? What information can be extrapolated from studying Catherine&rsquo;s letters, hagiography, and testimonial works post-mortem? And, how does Raymond&rsquo;s miniscule presence in the network change our interpretation of the basis of Catherine&rsquo;s success?</p><p>

Starting in the mid-thirteenth century, kings, bishops, and local rulers throughout western Europe repeatedly ordered the banishment of foreigners who were lending at interest. The expulsion of these foreigners, mostly Christians hailing from northern Italy, took place against a backdrop of rising anxieties over the social and spiritual implications of a rapidly expanding credit economy. Moreover, from 1274 onward, such expulsions were backed by the weight of canon law, as the church hierarchy—inspired by secular precedents—commanded rulers everywhere to expel foreign moneylenders from their lands. Standing threats of expulsion were duly entered into statute-books from Salzburg to northern Spain. This dissertation explores the emergence and spread of the idea of expelling foreign usurers across the intellectual and legal landscape of late medieval Europe. Building on a wide array of evidence gathered from seventy archives and libraries, the dissertation examines how the idea of expulsion expressed itself in practice, how its targets came to be defined, and how the resulting expulsion orders were enforced—or not. It shows how administrative procedures, intellectual categories and linguistic habits circulated and evolved to shape the banishment not only of foreign usurers, but of other targets as well, most notably the Jews. By reconstructing these expulsions and their accompanying legal and theological debates, this dissertation weaves together broad themes ranging from the circulation of merchants and manuscripts to conflicting overlaps in political jurisdictions and commercial practices; from the resilience of Biblical exegesis to the flexibility of legal hermeneutics; and from shifts in political thought and church doctrine to definitions of foreignness and the limits of citizenship. It reveals the impact of expulsion on the geography of credit in the later Middle Ages and sheds new light on the interpenetration of law and economic life in premodern Europe. Above all, in treating expulsion as contagious and protean, this dissertation frames late medieval Europe as a society in which practices of expulsion that had fallen into abeyance since late antiquity once again reasserted themselves in European practice and thought. / History

This thesis examines the Ely Act Book, the record of the consistory court of Ely from 1374 to 1382. It uses the defamation cases from the Act Book as a lens to examine the influence of the court. After a brief discussion of the Act Book itself – its survival, its construction, and its layout, the thesis explores the Ely Consistory Court as an agent of the larger canon law system. It shows that the court enforced canon law, addressing the legal and pastoral concerns of the Church in England, and that the bishop of Ely at the time – Thomas Arundel – was committed to those goals. The second chapter examines the court from the perspective of the people who worked and sought justice in it. It first shows that the court’s emphasis on order and learning demanded the employment of bureaucrats like the man who wrote the Act Book, Robert Foxton. The court provided both a market for their skills and an opportunity to advance their careers. Then the thesis shows that the court also benefited the litigants. It offered both sides an opportunity for legal representation. For the plaintiffs, it provided a judicial solution to disputes, but at the same time it protected defendants with a strong standard of proof, and awarded court costs to the falsely accused. / Special Concentration

Abstract not available.

Pour une raison encore inexpliquée, les notaires royaux d'Orléans conservèrent, dès 1385, les minutes des actes qu'ils passaient, ce que ne faisaient pas systèmatiquement leurs confrères instrumentant ailleurs dans le Nord de la France. De cette conjoncture est issue la présente recherche, qui se veut un double redressement réhabiliter l'étude du notariat en pays coutumier et aborder les actes notariés dans leur intégralité en tenant compte de leur auteur. Que signifiait être clerc notaire du Chatelet d'Orléans en 1437? Les minutes de Pierre Christophe, Guillaume Girault et Jehan de Recouin permettent d'effectuer une comparaison. Il en ressort que l'expérience et les aspirations propres à chaque notaire sont perceptibles dans la tenue de leur registre et les caracteristiques de leur clientele et ce, malgré le fait qu'ils travaillaient tous au même endroit dans des conditions semblables en utilisant les normes établies ou conseillées par la prévôté.

No description available.

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu

acase@tulane.edu