Berthold of Zwiefalten (c. 1089 – 21 May 1169) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

monk who thrice served as abbot of

Zwiefalten Abbey Zwiefalten Abbey (german: Kloster Zwiefalten, Abtei Zwiefalten or after 1750, ) is a former Benedictine monastery situated at Zwiefalten near Reutlingen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. History The monastery was founded in 1089 at the time of ...

and wrote its early history. Berthold was born around 1089 in

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...

,"Berthold of Zwiefalten"
in Robert E. Bjork (ed.), ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages'' (Oxford University Press, 2010). the son of a nobleman of the same name.. He entered Zwiefalten before 1098, but he was living at

Kladrau Kladruby (german: Kladrau) is a town in Tachov District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,600 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Brod u Stříbra, Láz, Milevo, Pozorka, Tuněchody and Vrbice u Stříbra are adm ...

in Bohemia in 1117. In 1135–1137 he was in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

. In 1137 he was back in Zwiefalten as ''

custos {{Wiktionary, custos ''Custos'' is the Latin word for guard. Titles * Custos rotulorum ("keeper of the rolls"), a civic post in parts of the United Kingdom and in Jamaica * Custos (Franciscans), a religious superior or official in the Fran ...

'' (custodian). It was during the years 1137–38 that Berthold wrote the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''Libellus'' (or ''Liber'') ''de constructione Zwivildensis monasterii'' (Book on the Construction of Zwiefalten Monastery) as a continuation of the chronicle begun by Ortlieb of Zwiefalten, although it appears to have stemmed from a dispute between the two men. It was intended mainly for the internal use of the monastic community.Szymon Wieczorek (2016)
"Berthold of Zwiefalten"
in Graeme Dunphy and Cristian Bratu (eds.), ''

Encyclopedia of the Medieval Chronicle The Medieval Chronicle Society is an international and interdisciplinary organization founded to facilitate the work of scholars interested in medieval annals and chronicles, or more generally medieval historiography. It was founded in 1999 and in ...

'' (Brill Online), consulted 23 July 2020 At places, the ''Libellus'' is written more like a tract against the Emperor Henry IV. It draws on the chronicles of

Bernold of Constance Bernold of Constance (c. 1054–Schaffhausen, September 16, 1100) was a chronicler and writer of tracts, and a defender of the Church reforms of Pope Gregory VII. Life He was educated at Constance under the renowned teacher Bernard of Const ...

, Bonizo of Sutri,

Ekkehard of Aura Ekkehard of Aura ( la, Ekkehardus Uraugiensis; died 1126) was the Abbot of Aura (a monastery founded by Otto, Bishop of Bamberg, on the Franconian Saale river, near Bad Kissingen, Bavaria) from 1108. A Benedictine monk and chronicler, he made upda ...

and

Frutolf of Michelsberg Frutolf of Michelsberg (died 17 January 1103) was a monk in Michelsberg Abbey in Bamberg, Germany, of which he became prior. He was probably a native of Bavaria. Frutolf was possibly a teacher of the quadrivium in the monastery, but principally ...

as sources for these years. Berthold was elected abbot in 1139, but was forced resign in 1141 after being accused of misuse of monastic property. He was re-elected in 1146 or 1147, but forced to resign a second time in 1152 or 1156. Elected a third time in 1148, he resigned a third time in 1169. He seems to have died on 21 May 1169, or perhaps later.

References

{{reflist 1169 deaths People from Württemberg German Benedictines Benedictine abbots Benedictine writers 12th-century German historians