Richer of Senones (sometimes in
French: Richer le Lorrain) (circa 1190–1266) was a monk and chronicler of
Senones Abbey
Senones Abbey (''Abbaye de Senones'') was a Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine abbey located in the valley of the Rabodeau, in the present village of Senones, Vosges, Senones in Grand Est, France.
History
The abbey was founded in the middle of the ...
in
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
, a traveller and one of the very few chroniclers or historians of the
Vosges
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
whose works have survived complete.
Life
He was born probably around 1190, quite possibly in the Val de Lièpvre (now in
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is the ...
), perhaps a younger son of an
Alsatian or
Lotharingian
Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
noble family. He studied at
Strasbourg
Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...
and was admitted to Senones Abbey under abbot Henri (1202–1225). In about 1218 Richer was sent as an ambassador of Senones to
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg is ...
when
Theobald I, Duke of Lorraine
Theobald I ( or ) (c. 1191 – 17 February 1220) was the duke of Lorraine from 1213 to his death. He was the son and successor of Frederick II and Agnes of Bar.
Battle of Bouvines
Theobald joined Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor, on 4 July 1214 ...
, was prisoner of
Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II (German: ''Friedrich''; Italian: ''Federico''; Latin: ''Federicus''; 26 December 1194 – 13 December 1250) was King of Sicily from 1198, King of Germany from 1212, King of Italy and Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 and King of Jerusa ...
, after the fire of
Nancy and the siege of
Amance.
He travelled extensively throughout the Vosges, which he knew extremely well, and throughout Alsace and Lorraine, where he often encountered monks from
Lièpvre
Lièpvre (; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. A monastery was built here in the eighth century by Saint Fulrad, who filled it with relics of Saint Cucuphas and Saint Alexander.
Geography
The mun ...
Priory as well as monks from
St. Denis' Abbey in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, who had possessions in the Val de Lièpvre. He visited St. Denis' Abbey himself in 1223, probably together with monks from Lièpvre. He often visited the castles of
Bilstein in
Urbeis and
Échéry in
Sainte Croix-aux-Mines, as well as the renowned castle of
Bernstein
Bernstein is a common surname in the German language, meaning "amber" (literally "burn stone"). The name is used by both Germans and Jews, although it is most common among people of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The German pronunciation is , but in E ...
. He also knew
Gorze Abbey
Gorze Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Gorze in the present arrondissement of Metz, near Metz in Lorraine. It was prominent as the source of a monastic reform movement in the 930s.
History
Gorze Abbey was founded in around 757 by Bishop Chrod ...
,
St. Evre's Abbey, Toul, and the abbey at
Saint-Dié.
Works
Richer is an enthusiastic recorder of his travels, and of religious stories and traditions that he has encountered. Unusually for the time, he is also a fine observer of landscapes, particularly the spectacular scenery of the Vosges, and takes great pains to describe what he has observed. A peculiarity of his language is the use of the word "Teudons"
[cf "]Teuton
The Teutons ( la, Teutones, , grc, Τεύτονες) were an ancient northern European tribe mentioned by Roman authors. The Teutons are best known for their participation, together with the Cimbri and other groups, in the Cimbrian War with th ...
s" to describe the inhabitants of Alsace.
His
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 ...
chronicles survive in nine copy manuscripts. Four date from the 16th century, two are translations, another two are from the 17th century and one is from 1826. The copies originate from the monasteries at Senones,
Moyenmoutier
Moyenmoutier (; german: Mittelmünster) is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
Inhabitants are called ''Médianimonastériens''.
Geography
The little town of Moyenmoutier is positioned along the lower part o ...
and
Etival.
See also
Notes
Sources
* Dantand, Dominique, 1988: ''Chronique de Richer, moine de Senones au XIIIe siècle''. DEA d’Histoire médiévale, Université de Nancy II
* Dantand, Dominique, 1996: ''La Chronique de Richer de Senones. Présentation, édition et traduction''. Doctorat d’Histoire Médiévale, Université de Nancy II
* Jérôme, L. 1902: ''L’Abbaye de Moyenmoutier''. Librairie Victor Lecoffre
* Gasse-Grandjean, Marie José, 1992: ''Les livres dans les abbayes vosgiennes du Moyen Âge''. Presses Universitaires de Nancy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richer Of Senones
1190 births
1266 deaths
People from Haut-Rhin
French Benedictines
French chroniclers
13th-century French historians
French Christian monks
French male non-fiction writers