In evaluating the Middle Ages on film, this thesis combines two different critical approaches, drawn from historiography on one side and semiotics on the other. In the first chapter, I argue that historiographic criticism has largely undermined our belief in a monolithic, objective History, and that modern historical enquiry contains a tacit admission of its own subjectivity. In Chapter Two, I use these admissions to argue the case for history on film, demonstrating that in terms of the construction of history, the processes of filmmaking closely resemble those of ‘doing’ history, and that criticisms of historical films are often the same criticisms which Historians raise in respect of their own works of ‘pure history’. In the remaining chapters (3-6), I look at specific examples of types of historical character, drawn from the medieval separation of society into “those who work, those who fight and those who pray”, as well as “those who rule”. In each case, I adopt a similar methodological approach, conducting close cinematographic analysis on a range of film extracts in order to see how filmmakers have tried to construct the past visually in their representation of historical characters. Here my arguments move away from historical criticism to focus instead on aesthetics and cinematography. The overall theory is that there exist two fundamental approaches to the medieval past in film: the first iconic and syntagmatic, the second paradigmatic. Iconic approaches, I argue, work to try to recreate the lost medieval referent by using aesthetic ‘signifiers’ in order to communicate their significance to a medieval audience. The paradigm, on the other hand, works in the opposite way; in order to explain a medieval object, the filmmaker casts about for modern equivalents to use as metaphors. Where the icon recreates the object to communicate the concept, the paradigm communicates the object by re-presenting the concept.

Étienne Maleu († 1322), chanoine de Saint-Junien (Haute-Vienne), a rédigé une chronique en latin. Il y raconte l’histoire de son église de l’an 500 jusqu’en 1316, date à laquelle il pose sa plume. L’auteur prend soin de consigner dans son « livre de mémoire », les biens et les droits de son chapitre à une époque où celui-ci voit ses horizons s’élargir considérablement à la suite de la nomination comme prévôt d’un membre de la curie pontificale avignonnaise. Étienne Maleu se distingue, parmi les historiens du début du XIVe siècle, par son profil singulier de chanoine de collégiale séculière ainsi que par la vaste érudition qu’il a mise au service d’une œuvre au caractère très local. Comme son contemporain Bernard Gui, auquel il emprunte sa matière et sa méthode historiques, il est un digne représentant de cette histoire « technicienne », selon le terme de Bernard Guenée, qui s’épanouit dans le royaume de France à la fin du Moyen Âge. En effet, le chanoine de Saint-Junien, qui a exploité des sources de natures très diverses (archéologiques notamment, qu’il a la particularité d’étudier dans une perspective liturgique), offre à son lecteur un récit construit et « documenté », y insérant, outre des analyses, la copie de vingt-sept chartes et bulles ainsi que de documents épigraphiques. La présente étude, qui vise à replacer Étienne Maleu dans la communauté des historiens médiévaux, s’accompagne d’une édition critique de sa chronique, réalisée à partir des différentes copies prises par des érudits des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, accompagnée de sa traduction commentée. / Étienne Maleu († 1322), canon of Saint-Junien (Haute-Vienne), wrote a Latin chronicle. He related the story of his church from 500 to 1316. Indeed, he completed his work in 1316. The author carefully recorded the possessions and rights of his church. At this time, indeed, the pope appointed to the function of provost a member of his familia : it deeply changed the chapter’s composition and organization. Étienne Maleu was quite different from the other historians of the beginning of the fourteenth century. Indeed, he was a secular canon who belonged to a collegiate church. Furthermore, he demonstrated a vast erudition in the writing of a very local chronicle and wrote a scholarly history, as his contemporary Bernard Gui from whom he borrowed his historical knowledge and method. Indeed, the canon of Saint-Junien used a very large range of sources, that is to say chronicles, vitae sanctorum, necrologies, deeds, epigraphic and monumental sources, oral sources and his own memory. He offered a well-structured story. He transcribed twenty-seven deeds in his work and also inserted in his text the summaries of about thirty other deeds. This study aims to place Étienne Maleu in the community of medieval historians. It also offers a critical edition of his chronicle – which publishes the text of copies made from the original manuscript (which was probably burnt during the French Revolution in 1793) during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries – and a translation with annotations.

Nesta dissertação, problematizamos a noção de história presente em duas obras produzidas nos séculos X e XI no Reino dos Francos: os Quatro Livros de História, de Richer de Reims, e os Cinco Livros de História, de Raoul Glaber. Ambos autores eram monges e, com isso, analisamos também seu espaço de formação, para podermos conceber quais eram as bases educacionais formativas para suas concepções de história neste período. Qual era a função da história? Como deveria ser a escrita da história? A partir de quais referências sobre os eventos passados? Havia um método para a escrita? Esses autores podem ser considerados historiadores? Essas são questões que são levantadas nesse trabalho. A partir da ideia de que a escrita da história era feita de forma consciente por parte dos seus autores, o ato de historiar os eventos passados tem interesses diversos. Assim, também problematizamos a possibilidade desses relatos estarem interligados com interesses políticos no contexto de sua produção, partindo da análise da ascensão de Hugo Capeto ao trono do Reino dos Francos em 987. / In this thesis we discuss the notion of history in two works produced in the tenth and eleventh centuries at the Kingdom of Franks: the four books of Richer of Reims’ Historiae, and the five books of Rudolfus Glaber’s History. Both authors were monks, and thereby, we also analyze their space of formation, in order to conceive what were the formative educational basis for their conceptions of history in this period. What was the role of history? How should the writing of history be done? From which references about past events should it be done? was there a method for writing? Can those authors be considered historians? These are the questions raised in this work. From the idea that the writing of history was made consciously by part of the authors, the act of recounting past events has several interests. Thus, we also problematize the possibility that these accounts were intertwined with political interests in the context of its production, starting with an analysis of the rise of Hugh Capet to the throne of the Kingdom of the Franks in 987. / En esta tesis problematizamos la noción de historia presente en dos obras producidas en los siglos X y XI en el Reino de los Francos: los Cuatro libros de historia, de Richer de Reims, y los Cinco libros de historia, de Raoul Glaber. Ambos autores eran monjes y, por lo tanto, analizamos también el espacio de formación para concebirnos cuales eran las bases educacionales para la formación de las concepciones de historia en este período. ¿Cual era la función de la historia? ¿Como se debería escribir la historia? ¿A partir de cuales referencias sobre los eventos pasados? ¿Había un método para la escrita? ¿Estos autores pueden ser considerados historiadores? Son algunas cuestiones que hacemos en esta tesis. Partiendo de la idea de qué la historia era hecha de forma consciente por la parte de sus autores, el ato de historiar los eventos pasados tiene diversos intereses. Así, también problematizamos la posibilidad que estos relatos están relacionados con los intereses políticos del período de la producción de la obra, partiendo del análisis de la ascensión de Hugo Capeto al Reino de los Francos en el año de 987.

Nesta dissertação, problematizamos a noção de história presente em duas obras produzidas nos séculos X e XI no Reino dos Francos: os Quatro Livros de História, de Richer de Reims, e os Cinco Livros de História, de Raoul Glaber. Ambos autores eram monges e, com isso, analisamos também seu espaço de formação, para podermos conceber quais eram as bases educacionais formativas para suas concepções de história neste período. Qual era a função da história? Como deveria ser a escrita da história? A partir de quais referências sobre os eventos passados? Havia um método para a escrita? Esses autores podem ser considerados historiadores? Essas são questões que são levantadas nesse trabalho. A partir da ideia de que a escrita da história era feita de forma consciente por parte dos seus autores, o ato de historiar os eventos passados tem interesses diversos. Assim, também problematizamos a possibilidade desses relatos estarem interligados com interesses políticos no contexto de sua produção, partindo da análise da ascensão de Hugo Capeto ao trono do Reino dos Francos em 987. / In this thesis we discuss the notion of history in two works produced in the tenth and eleventh centuries at the Kingdom of Franks: the four books of Richer of Reims’ Historiae, and the five books of Rudolfus Glaber’s History. Both authors were monks, and thereby, we also analyze their space of formation, in order to conceive what were the formative educational basis for their conceptions of history in this period. What was the role of history? How should the writing of history be done? From which references about past events should it be done? was there a method for writing? Can those authors be considered historians? These are the questions raised in this work. From the idea that the writing of history was made consciously by part of the authors, the act of recounting past events has several interests. Thus, we also problematize the possibility that these accounts were intertwined with political interests in the context of its production, starting with an analysis of the rise of Hugh Capet to the throne of the Kingdom of the Franks in 987. / En esta tesis problematizamos la noción de historia presente en dos obras producidas en los siglos X y XI en el Reino de los Francos: los Cuatro libros de historia, de Richer de Reims, y los Cinco libros de historia, de Raoul Glaber. Ambos autores eran monjes y, por lo tanto, analizamos también el espacio de formación para concebirnos cuales eran las bases educacionales para la formación de las concepciones de historia en este período. ¿Cual era la función de la historia? ¿Como se debería escribir la historia? ¿A partir de cuales referencias sobre los eventos pasados? ¿Había un método para la escrita? ¿Estos autores pueden ser considerados historiadores? Son algunas cuestiones que hacemos en esta tesis. Partiendo de la idea de qué la historia era hecha de forma consciente por la parte de sus autores, el ato de historiar los eventos pasados tiene diversos intereses. Así, también problematizamos la posibilidad que estos relatos están relacionados con los intereses políticos del período de la producción de la obra, partiendo del análisis de la ascensión de Hugo Capeto al Reino de los Francos en el año de 987.

Nesta dissertação, problematizamos a noção de história presente em duas obras produzidas nos séculos X e XI no Reino dos Francos: os Quatro Livros de História, de Richer de Reims, e os Cinco Livros de História, de Raoul Glaber. Ambos autores eram monges e, com isso, analisamos também seu espaço de formação, para podermos conceber quais eram as bases educacionais formativas para suas concepções de história neste período. Qual era a função da história? Como deveria ser a escrita da história? A partir de quais referências sobre os eventos passados? Havia um método para a escrita? Esses autores podem ser considerados historiadores? Essas são questões que são levantadas nesse trabalho. A partir da ideia de que a escrita da história era feita de forma consciente por parte dos seus autores, o ato de historiar os eventos passados tem interesses diversos. Assim, também problematizamos a possibilidade desses relatos estarem interligados com interesses políticos no contexto de sua produção, partindo da análise da ascensão de Hugo Capeto ao trono do Reino dos Francos em 987. / In this thesis we discuss the notion of history in two works produced in the tenth and eleventh centuries at the Kingdom of Franks: the four books of Richer of Reims’ Historiae, and the five books of Rudolfus Glaber’s History. Both authors were monks, and thereby, we also analyze their space of formation, in order to conceive what were the formative educational basis for their conceptions of history in this period. What was the role of history? How should the writing of history be done? From which references about past events should it be done? was there a method for writing? Can those authors be considered historians? These are the questions raised in this work. From the idea that the writing of history was made consciously by part of the authors, the act of recounting past events has several interests. Thus, we also problematize the possibility that these accounts were intertwined with political interests in the context of its production, starting with an analysis of the rise of Hugh Capet to the throne of the Kingdom of the Franks in 987. / En esta tesis problematizamos la noción de historia presente en dos obras producidas en los siglos X y XI en el Reino de los Francos: los Cuatro libros de historia, de Richer de Reims, y los Cinco libros de historia, de Raoul Glaber. Ambos autores eran monjes y, por lo tanto, analizamos también el espacio de formación para concebirnos cuales eran las bases educacionales para la formación de las concepciones de historia en este período. ¿Cual era la función de la historia? ¿Como se debería escribir la historia? ¿A partir de cuales referencias sobre los eventos pasados? ¿Había un método para la escrita? ¿Estos autores pueden ser considerados historiadores? Son algunas cuestiones que hacemos en esta tesis. Partiendo de la idea de qué la historia era hecha de forma consciente por la parte de sus autores, el ato de historiar los eventos pasados tiene diversos intereses. Así, también problematizamos la posibilidad que estos relatos están relacionados con los intereses políticos del período de la producción de la obra, partiendo del análisis de la ascensión de Hugo Capeto al Reino de los Francos en el año de 987.

Sturla Þórðarson: his work in context of his time and an analysis of the authorial intent The purpose of this thesis is to analyse the literary-historiographical works of Sturla Þórðarson with regard to the specific historical situation at the time of their origin and the methods and authorial intent of this 13th century Icelandic historian. The introductory chapters give a brief overview of Sturla Þórðarson's life in a broader historical context, based on the extant primary sources, and of his literary and literary- historiographical works. The major topic of the thesis is an analysis and comparison of two of the author's works, Íslendinga saga and Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar, in context of various scholars' views of medieval historiography. The former saga belongs to the genre of samtíðarsögur (contemporary sagas), the latter to the genre of konungasögur (kings' sagas). Both works present the same historical period. The major object of analysis is the differences in the author's approach to the historical material in his literary-historiographical works of different genres; this analysis is followed by an attempt to explain the differences. The first part of the thesis presents a separate analysis of each saga in context of the given genre. Both sagas are among the latest extant works in their respective...

This thesis examines the relationships between royal convents and rulers in Saxony from 852 to 1024. The spate of female monasteries founded in Saxony in the ninth and tenth centuries, alongside the close relationships of major convents to the Ottonian dynasty, has led to Saxon female monasticism being described as unique. As such, Saxony's apparently peculiar experience has been used to make comparisons with other regions about the nature of female monasticism, commemoration and the role of women in early medieval societies. This thesis interrogates these ideas by tracking the development of two major royal convents: Gandersheim and Quedlinburg. By reassessing the origins of these convents, and their later rewriting in sources produced by these monasteries, we can consider how their relationships with the rulers of Saxony developed over time, and how their identity and function as royal monasteries evolved as the tenth century progressed. In doing so, this thesis challenges the dominant understanding of these convents as homes of the Ottonian memoria and provides a detailed view of how these institutions became so prominent in Saxony. The thesis is divided into four sections. After introducing the historiographical importance of this topic in the first chapter, in chapter two I assess the origins of the convent of Gandersheim in Carolingian Saxony. Chapter three turns to the rewriting of these origins by Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim in the 970s. Chapter four reconsiders the early history of the convent of Quedlinburg from 936 to 966. Chapter five tracks how the origins of Quedlinburg evolved into a new narrative across the tenth century, culminating in the version provided by the Quedlinburg Annals in 1008. Finally, the concluding section outlines the significance of this thesis for our understanding of early medieval female monasticism and the history of the Ottonian Empire.

This thesis explores the afterlife and literary presence of the Anglo-Saxons in three literary works from the Middle English period. Middle English writers appropriated classical and French traditions for decidedly English purposes, but relatively few scholars have noted the way in which individuals in the Middle English period (particularly in the fourteenth century) drew upon and (re)constructed an organic English identity or essence emblematized by the Anglo-Saxons. Post-Conquest English men and women did not relate to their Anglo-Saxon forebears in an unproblematic manner; changes in language and culture, precipitated by the Norman Invasion, placed a vast, unwieldy gap between Middle English culture and Anglo-Saxon traditions. The uneasy relationship between the Middle English period and the Anglo-Saxon period marks Middle English literature's relationship with Anglo-Saxon precedents as one of negotiation and contestation. Through an examination of Chaucer's The Man of Law's Tale, and the anonymous Athelston and St. Erkenwald, I consider the ways in which Middle English writers conceived of their notions of "the past," and how such associations affected and generated new modes of thought in a relational and, at times, oppositional manner. This thesis explores the anxiety of relating to a past tradition that was recognizably "English" yet profoundly "other," and I analyze discourses on several distinct (occasionally conflated) "others," including Jews, Muslims, and "easterners" in order to suggest the trepidation of relating to a past tradition that was uncanny due to a familiarity that was quite unfamiliar. Middle English literature encounters, and, at times, recoils from this difference, and the works which I consider domesticate and make known/knowable the "primitive" Anglo-Saxon past.

Le présent travail est consacré aux récits de la vie d'Alexandre incorporés aux trois histoires universelles que sont la Chronique dite de Baudoin d'Avesnes, composée par un écrivain anonyme entre 1278 et 1281, et deux versions de la Fleur des histoires, écrites par le même auteur, Jean Mansel, fonctionnaire à la cour de Bourgogne, respectivement dans les années 1140 et 1460. Le choix de ces trois textes s'explique par leur origine géographique commune, par les relations qu'ils entretiennent entre eux, par leurs modalités de diffusion et de réception similaires. Provenant du Nord de la France, très lus par les lecteurs nobles de la fin du moyen Age, ils constituent un corpus unifié inédit et restent un champ presque vierge pour la recherche. Les trois oeuvres accordent une place majeure à la vie d'Alexandre le Grand et à l'historie de son empire, en exploitant des sources différentes, des chroniques universelles de l'Antiquité tardive, comme celle d'Orose, aux textes d'inspiration courtoise comme les Voeux du paon de Jacques de Longuyon. La thèse comprend une étude de la tradition manuscrite des trois textes, une recherche sur leurs auteurs, leurs mécènes et leurs lecteurs, une analyse des stratégies de réécriture élaborées pour recomposer le portrait d'Alexandre et intégrer sa vie dans le continuum d'une histoire universelle ainsi qu'une étude des fonctions que les auteurs lui accordent dans l'histoire de l'humanité. Elle édite en annexe les prologues des chroniques et les trois récits de la vie d'Alexandre. / The present study examines the life of Alexander the Great as it is told in three universal chronicles, the Chronique dite de Baudoin d'Avesnes, written by an anonymous historian between 1278 and 1281, and two versions of the Fleur des histoires, composed in 1440s and in 1460s, respectively, by Jean mansel, a functionary at the Burgundian court. The three texts have a common geographical provenance and were read by the same readers ; furthermore, Mansel borrowed extensively from his predecessor to create the two versions of his chronicle. Despite evidence, of their wide readership in the Middle Ages, these texts remain largely unknown to modern researchers. The shared genre model, geographical and intellectual connections between these chronicles, on the one hand, and their paradoxical status of once well-known and now nearly forgotten texts, on the other, have prompted the decision to study them together. On crucial link between these works is the prominence their authors give to Alexander the Great and the variety of sources they use to tell his story, ranging from universal chronicles of the late Antiquity, such as Orosius' Historiae, to courtly romances such as Jacques de Longuyon' Voeux du paon. Our thesis comprises firstly, a study of the manuscript tradition of the three texts, with an emphasis on the role authors of the chronicles, their patrons and readers played in the creation and dissemination of various textual versions, followed by an analysis of the strategies employed by the authors to rewrite the story of Alexander's life in order to integrate it in the continuum of universal history and, finally, an examination of the roles assigned to the Macedonian king in the history of the humanity. The appendices contain an edition of the prologues and of the three accounts of Alexander's life.

This thesis undertakes a close study of a single manuscript of the early 1320s, written at the priory of Fineshade, Northamptonshire. The manuscript contains a short chronicle and several documents related to the failed baronial rebellion of 1321-22. I argue that, in collaboration with the priory’s patrons, the Engayne family, the chronicler responds to the current situation with an attempt to create meaning from a time of crisis. In the process, he attempts to shape his material through patterns of style and thought inherited from both chronicle and hagiographical traditions, to make the present conform to the known and understood shape of the past. His success is limited by his inability to establish sufficient distance from traumatic events, a difficulty that many chroniclers seemed to encounter when they attempted to turn current events into meaningful historical narrative.