Hildebert (c. 105518 December 1133) was a French ecclesiastic, hagiographer and theologian. From 1096–97 he was
bishop of Le Mans
The Catholic Diocese of Le Mans (Latin: ''Dioecesis Cenomanensis''; French: ''Diocèse du Mans'') is a Catholic diocese of France. The diocese is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo but had previously been suffraga ...
, then from 1125 until his death
archbishop of Tours
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Turonensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Tours'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd cent ...
. Sometimes called Hildebert of Lavardin, his name may also be spelled Hydalbert, Gildebert, or Aldebert.
Life
Hildebert was born of poor parents at
Lavardin, near
Vendôme
Vendôme (, ) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Loir-et-Cher, France. It is also the department's third-biggest Communes of France, commune with 15,856 inhabitants (2019).
It is one of the ...
, and was intended for the church. He was probably a pupil of
Berengar of Tours
Berengar of Tours (died 6 January 1088), in Latin Berengarius Turonensis, was an 11th-century French Christian theologian and archdeacon of Angers, a scholar whose leadership of the cathedral school at Chartres set an example of intellectual i ...
, and became master (''scholasticus'') of the school at Le Mans; in 1091 he was made
archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...
and in 1096 or 1097
bishop of Le Mans
The Catholic Diocese of Le Mans (Latin: ''Dioecesis Cenomanensis''; French: ''Diocèse du Mans'') is a Catholic diocese of France. The diocese is now a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Rennes, Dol, and Saint-Malo but had previously been suffraga ...
. He had to face the hostility of a section of his clergy and also of the
English king, William II, who captured Le Mans and carried the bishop with him to England for about a year.
Hildebert then (in 1100 or 1103) travelled to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and sought permission to resign his bishopric, which
Pope Paschal II
Pope Paschal II ( la, Paschalis II; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Ranierius, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was cre ...
refused. In 1116 his diocese was thrown into great confusion owing to the preaching of
Henry of Lausanne Henry of Lausanne (variously known as of Bruys, of Cluny, of Toulouse, of Le Mans and as the Deacon, sometimes referred to as Henry the Monk or Henry the Petrobrusian) was a French heresiarch of the first half of the 12th century. His preaching beg ...
, who was denouncing the higher clergy, especially the bishop. Hildebert compelled him to leave the neighborhood of
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
, but the effects of his preaching remained.
In 1125 Hildebert was
translated
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
unwillingly to the
archbishopric of Tours
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Turonensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Tours'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd cen ...
, where he came into conflict with the
French king Louis VI about the rights of ecclesiastical patronage, and with the
bishop of Dol
The Breton and French Catholic diocese of Dol existed from 848 to the French Revolution. It was suppressed by the Concordat of 1801. Its see was Dol Cathedral. Its scattered territory (deriving from the holdings of the Celtic monastery, and inclu ...
about the authority of his see in
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
. He presided over the
Synod of Nantes, and died at Tours probably on December 18, 1133. Hildebert built part of the cathedral at Le Mans. Some writers have referred to him with the title of saint, but there appears to be no authority for this. He was not a man of very strict life; his contemporaries, however, had a very high opinion of him and he was called ''egregius versificator'' by
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis ( la, Ordericus Vitalis; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. Modern historia ...
.
Works
The extant writings of Hildebert consist of letters, poems, a few sermons, two lives and one or two treatises. An edition of his works prepared by the
Maurist
The Congregation of St. Maur, often known as the Maurists, were a congregation of French Benedictines, established in 1621, and known for their high level of scholarship. The congregation and its members were named after Saint Maurus (died 565), a ...
,
Antoine Beaugendre
Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin.
The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...
, and entitled ''Venerabilis Hildeberti, prima Cenomanensis episcopi, deinde Turonensis archiepiscopi, opera tam edita quam inedita'', was published in Paris in 1708 and was reprinted with additions by J-J Bourassé in 1854. These editions, however, are faulty. They credit Hildebert with numerous writings by others and omit some genuine writings. Revelation of this fact has affected Hildebert's position in the history of medieval thought.
His former standing as a philosopher rested on his supposed authorship of the important ''Tractatus theologicus''—but this is now regarded as the work of
Hugh of St Victor
Hugh of Saint Victor ( 1096 – 11 February 1141), was a Saxon canon regular and a leading theologian and writer on mystical theology.
Life
As with many medieval figures, little is known about Hugh's early life. He was probably born in the 1090 ...
. Consequently, Hildebert is no longer thought of as a philosopher. His genuine writings include many letters. These Epistolae enjoyed great popularity in the 12th and 13th centuries, and were frequently used as classics in the schools of France and Italy. They include two letters concerning the struggle between the
emperor Henry V
Henry V (german: Heinrich V.; probably 11 August 1081 or 1086 – 23 May 1125, in Utrecht) was King of Germany (from 1099 to 1125) and Holy Roman Emperor (from 1111 to 1125), as the fourth and last ruler of the Salian dynasty. He was made co-ru ...
and
Pope Paschal II
Pope Paschal II ( la, Paschalis II; 1050 1055 – 21 January 1118), born Ranierius, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 13 August 1099 to his death in 1118. A monk of the Abbey of Cluny, he was cre ...
, which were edited by
Ernst Sackur
Ernst is both a surname and a given name, the German, Dutch, and Scandinavian form of Ernest. Notable people with the name include:
Surname
* Adolf Ernst (1832–1899) German botanist known by the author abbreviation "Ernst"
* Anton Ernst (1975- ...
and printed in the ''
Monumenta Germaniae historica
The ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica'' (''MGH'') is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of Northwestern and Central European history from the end of the Roman Empire ...
. Libelli de lite ii.'' (1893),
but whose attribution to Hildebert is very doubtful.
[See P. von Moos, ''Hildebert von Lavardin'', 1965, Stuttgart, 338-39.]
His poems on various subjects were also very popular. Hildebert attained celebrity also as a preacher both in
French and
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 ...
, but only a few of his genuine
sermon
A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...
s exist, most of the 144 his editors attributed to him being the work of
Peter Lombard
Peter Lombard (also Peter the Lombard, Pierre Lombard or Petrus Lombardus; 1096, Novara – 21/22 July 1160, Paris), was a scholastic theologian, Bishop of Paris, and author of '' Four Books of Sentences'' which became the standard textbook of ...
and others.
The ''Vitae'' Hildebert wrote are the lives of
Hugh of Cluny
Hugh (13 May 1024 – 29 April 1109), sometimes called Hugh the Great or Hugh of Semur, was the Abbot of Cluny from 1049 until his death. He was one of the most influential leaders of the monastic orders from the Middle Ages.
Biography
Hugh was ...
and of
St Radegunda
Radegund ( la, Radegundis; also spelled ''Rhadegund, Radegonde, or Radigund''; 520 – 13 August 587) was a Thuringian princess and Frankish queen, who founded the Abbey of the Holy Cross at Poitiers. She is the patron saint of several churches ...
. His ''liber de Querimonia et Conflictu carnis et Spiritus seu animae'' is also undoubtedly his. Hildebert was an excellent Latin scholar, being acquainted with
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...
,
Ovid
Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...
and other authors, and his spirit is rather that of a
pagan
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
than of a Christian writer.
He sent letters and poetry to
Adela of Normandy
Adela of Normandy, of Blois, or of England (c. 1067 – 8 March 1137),LoPrete, Kimberly. "Adela of Blois." ''Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: An Encyclopedia.'' Ed. Margaret Schaus. New York: Routledge, 2006. 6–7. also known as in Roman ...
advising her on clemency, and praised her regency of
Blois
Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...
.
References
Further reading
*
Barthélemy Hauréau
Jean-Barthélemy Hauréau (; 9 November 1812 – 29 April 1896) was a 19th-century French historian, journalist and administrator.
Education and appointments
Born in Paris, he was educated at the Louis-le-Grand and Bourbon colleges in his nat ...
, ''Les Mélanges poetiques d'Hildebert de Lavardin'' (Paris, 1882), and ''Notices et extraits de quelques manuscrits latins de la Bibliothèque nationale'' (Paris, 1890–1893)
*
P. de Deservillers, ''Un évêque au douzième siècle Hildebert et son temps'' (Paris, 1876)
*
Edward Augustus Freeman
Edward Augustus Freeman (2 August 182316 March 1892) was an English historian, architectural artist, and Liberal politician during the late-19th-century heyday of Prime Minister William Gladstone, as well as a one-time candidate for Parliament. ...
, ''The Reign of Rufus'', vol. ii (Oxford, 1882)
*Tome xi. of the ''Histoire litteraire de la France'',
*Tome IV. of the ''
Histoire littéraire du Maine'' (B.Hauréau).
*
H. Böhmer in Band viii. of Herzog-Hauck's ''Realencyklopädie'' (1900)
*
Adolphe Dieudonné, ''Hildebert de Lavardin, évéque du Mans, archévéque de Tours. Sa vie, ses lettres'' (Paris, 1898); see also : full text from ''Revue Historique et Archéologique du Maine'', coll.DVD-RHAM, Société Historique et Archéologique du Maine, Le Mans, 2006.
*
Wilmart, A., ''Le florilège de Saint-Gatien. Contribution à l'étude des poèmes d'Hildebert et de Marbode,'' Revue Bénédictine 48 (1936) 3-40, 147-181, 235-258
External links
*
*
*
*
''Women's Biography: Adela, countess of Blois, Chartres, and Meaux'' Includes three of his letters and two of his poems.
*
Manuscripts of Hildebert's letters in the British Library
{{Authority control
1050s births
1133 deaths
People from Loir-et-Cher
12th-century French poets
Medieval Latin poets
12th-century French writers
Bishops of Le Mans
Archbishops of Tours
12th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in France
French male poets
12th-century Latin writers