Richard of Poitiers
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Richard of Poitiers (died c. 1174), also known as Richard of Cluny, was a monk of the
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 ...
abbey of Cluny Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churche ...
, and author of a small number of historical works (including a universal chronicle), treatises and poems.


Life

Little is known about the life of Richard of Poitiers beyond the barest biographical details suggested in the title and dedication prefacing his . His name, '','' indicates that he was a native of the region of
Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. He calls himself a , an ambiguous term suggesting either that he was a monk of the
Abbey of Cluny Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churche ...
or that he was a member of the Europe-wide network of Cluniac monasteries (the ). Scholars have identified no further conclusive evidence for his life or background. On the basis of unique local material in a single manuscript of Richard's , Élie Berger concluded that he resided in a Cluniac priory on the island of Aix in Poitou. The subsequent work of I. Schnack suggested, in contrast, that Richard wrote in the
scriptorium Scriptorium (), literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the writing, copying and illuminating of manuscripts commonly handled by monastic scribes. However, lay scribes an ...
of the
Abbey of Cluny Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter. The abbey was constructed in the Romanesque architectural style, with three churche ...
. The lack of any conclusive evidence makes it difficult to resolve this disagreement. From Richard's dedication of his chronicle to Peter the Venerable, it is evident that Richard was at work by 1156, the year of Peter's death. The poems attributed to Richard's authorship include an ode to London and a condemnation of sea sickness, both of which suggest that Richard travelled beyond the confines of medieval France. Richard of Poitiers should not be confused with Richard of Ilchester, an English contemporary who was also known as Richard of Poitiers while Archdeacon of the Cathedral of Poitiers. He should also be distinguished from King
Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...
, whom some chroniclers of the Crusades refer to as Richard of Poitiers.


Writings


Chronicle

Richard's major work bears the title (''The Chronicle of Richard of Poitiers, monk of Cluny, compiled from numerous sources''), which draws attention to the work's nature as largely compilation. In his dedication, Richard offers a list of sources consulted in writing his chronicle: ::In this work, I excerpt from the books of
Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...
,
Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
,
Isidore Isidore ( ; also spelled Isador, Isadore and Isidor) is an English and French masculine given name. The name is derived from the Greek name ''Isídōros'' (Ἰσίδωρος) and can literally be translated to "gift of Isis." The name has survived ...
, Theodolfus,
Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for '' The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly ...
, Hegesippus, Eutropius, Titus Livy, Suetonius, Aimoinus, Justinus (the abridger or excerptor of
Pompeius Trogus Gnaeus Pompeius Trogus also anglicized as was a Gallo-Roman historian from the Celtic Vocontii tribe in Narbonese Gaul who lived during the reign of the emperor Augustus. He was nearly contemporary with Livy. Life Pompeius Trogus's grandfat ...
), Freculphus, Orosius, Anastasius (the librarian of the Roman see), Anneus Florus, Gregory, Bede, Ado,
Gildas Gildas ( Breton: ''Gweltaz''; c. 450/500 – c. 570) — also known as Gildas the Wise or ''Gildas Sapiens'' — was a 6th-century British monk best known for his scathing religious polemic ''De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae'', which recount ...
(the historian of Britain), the monk
Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...
(historian of the Lombards), and of a few others. Despite this apparent openness, Richard cites historians, such as Suetonius and Aimonius, whom he likely only knew second hand. He also does not fully reference all his sources. In addition to the sources cited explicitly, Richard's chronicle tacitly includes material from contemporary historians, such as
Fulcher of Chartres Fulcher of Chartres (c. 1059 in or near Chartres – after 1128) was a priest who participated in the First Crusade. He served Baldwin I of Jerusalem for many years and wrote a Latin chronicle of the Crusade. Life Fulcher was born c. 1059. His app ...
' crusading history as well as fantastical literature, such as the Pseudo-Alexander's '' Letter from Alexander to Aristotle'' and
Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography ...
's ''History of the Kings of England''. The diversity of material in Richard's ''Chronicle'' gives it an exotic feel for the modern reader, and the resulting work is quite unlike what a modern historian seeks to do. Richard, for example, does not attempt to come to a coherent portrait of history or distinguish true from false accounts. Instead, he juxtaposes multiple accounts in order to provide the most complete picture, even if his sources are contradictory. The reigns of kings or emperors, for example, might be recorded as having three or four different spans, depending on whether the reader wishes to follow Jerome, Josephus, Justinus or Orosius. The chronicle also contains significant prophetic material (from Biblical sources, or from Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Prophecies of Merlin'') and Richard repeatedly seeks to identify for the reader when these prophecies are shown to be fulfilled. This concern with prophecy is an important undertone of Richard's work and relates to a traditional Cluniac interest with deciphering the divine plan identifiable from the course of human history (see
Rodulfus Glaber Rodulfus, or Raoul Glaber (which means "the Smooth" or "the Bald") (985–1047), was an 11th-century Benedictine chronicler. Life Glaber was born in 985 in Burgundy. At the behest of his uncle, a monk at Saint-Léger-de-Champeaux, Glaber was se ...
). As Richard himself states (see sidebar), the ''Chronicle'' sought to describe all of human history (as then understood) from Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden until his own time (in the 1160s and 1170s). In doing so, Richard compiled what modern historians have called a "universal history". Universal chronicles are similar to modern-day textbooks of Western Civilization in the breadth of material covered. Richard's text strongly focuses on Christian and French subjects, but it also provides a wide range of material on Classical and Ancient Middle Eastern history. Such information was necessary for a Christian reader to understand Biblical history or the Classical texts still circulating during the Middle Ages.


Other historical works

Richard compiled a ''Catalogue of Popes'' whose brief entries provided basic information about the time and duration of their papacy, their ''nation'' of origin, and distinguishing events (such as miracles performed, synods held). Subsequent writers extended this text into the thirteenth century and their extensions were incorporated into later chronicles. I. Schnack has argued that this text, when taken together with Richard's treatises on the diocesan and cardinal clergy of the city of Rome, is an important source for understanding attitudes towards the developing college of cardinals. E. Berger assigns an additional work, ''A Lament upon the Destruction of Castle Julius,'' to Richard's authorship. It is a brief description of the siege and capture of a French castle, which Berger identifies as Châtel-Aillon, and other local history relating to the region around Aunis, France.


Treatises

Richard's two brief descriptions of the Roman clergy are entitled, "On the seven bishops who are the vicars of the pope" and "On the seven bishop, deacons ... who assist the pope celebrate mass". These two works briefly describe those holding religious office who are fit in dignity to serve alongside the pope in power, and in sanctity.


Poems

Although the sixteenth-century bibliophile John Bale attributes seven poems in total to Richard, the most recent editor of his poems (or ) is unsure which can conclusively be assigned to his authorship.


Historiographical contribution


Relation to contemporaries

Richard of Poitiers was among the first of a new crop of twelfth-century French chroniclers to compose a universal history. Within French-speaking regions, the genre of the universal chronicle had languished after the Carolingian works of Frechulfus of Liseaux and
Ado of Vienne Ado of Vienne ( la, Ado Viennensis, french: Adon de Vienne; died 16 December 874) was archbishop of Vienne in Lotharingia from 850 until his death and is venerated as a saint. He belonged to a prominent Frankish family and spent much of his early ...
. Interest in composing this kind of work was rejuvenated by Hugh of St. Victor's historiographical treatise, , a text Richard which alludes to in his prologue. Richard also seems to take inspiration from Hugh's idea of history as a tool useful for the spiritual training of the mind and as preliminary for other study (see Hugh of Saint Victor's ). Richard, like Hugh, calls history childish (''puerile'') since it is first studied by school-age children.


Influence on later history writing

The writings of Richard of Poitiers received a relatively wide circulation. In the number of extant manuscripts, his chronicle ranks alongside
Otto of Freising Otto of Freising ( la, Otto Frisingensis; c. 1114 – 22 September 1158) was a German churchman of the Cistercian order and chronicled at least two texts which carries valuable information on the political history of his own time. He was Otto I ...
's ''Deeds of Frederick Barbarossa'', and Robert of Gloucester's ''Metrical Chronicle''. The distribution of manuscripts in France, Spain, England, Italy and Germany, and its inclusion in monastic, episcopal and aristocratic libraries suggest a broad audience. Subsequent chroniclers, such as Amaury Augier, Martin of Troppau and William Rede, continued Richard's text into their own times, and Richard is noted as an accomplished historian by such humanists as Johann von Heidenberg,
Conrad Gesner Conrad Gessner (; la, Conradus Gesnerus 26 March 1516 – 13 December 1565) was a Swiss physician, naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist. Born into a poor family in Zürich, Switzerland, his father and teachers quickly realised his tale ...
and
Gerard Vossius Gerrit Janszoon Vos (March or April 1577, Heidelberg – 19 March 1649, Amsterdam), often known by his Latin name Gerardus Vossius, was a Dutch classical scholar and theologian. Life He was the son of Johannes (Jan) Vos, a Protestant from the Ne ...
. In the seventeenth century, his chronicle was conflated with the written by
Richard of Saint Victor Richard of Saint Victor (died 1173) was a Medieval Scottish philosopher and theologian and one of the most influential religious thinkers of his time. A canon regular, he was a prominent mystical theologian, and was prior of the famous Augustin ...
, a misunderstanding that was often repeated until the eighteenth century, when the publication of extracts of Richard's chronicle, first by
Edmond Martène Edmond Martène (22 December 1654, at Saint-Jean-de-Losne near Dijon – 20 June 1739, at Saint-Germain-des-Prés near Paris) was a French Benedictine historian and liturgist. In 1672 he entered the Benedictine Abbey of St-Rémy at Reims, a ho ...
and later by Luigi Muratori, made this error evident. These early editors judged Richard's Chronicle to be overly derivative and edited only the concluding portions of his chronicle. A complete edition of the work has never been finished, but is currently under development by Marc Saurette (Carleton University) and Matthew Ponesse (Ohio Dominican University).


See also

* Peter the Venerable * Hugh Primas


Notes


Bibliography


Editions and translations

* BERGER, Élie, ed. Appendix to « Richard le Poitevin, moine de Cluny, historien et poète ». In, ''Notice sur Divers Manuscrits de la Bibliothèque Vaticane. Bibl. des Écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome''. Fasc. 6. Toulouse : A. Chauvin & Fils, 1879, pp. 45–140. *BOUQUET, Martin, ed. "Ex Chronico Richardi Pictaviensis, monachi Cluniacensis." I
''Recueil des historiens des Gaules et de la France''
Paris, 1781; rpt. 1869, VII, 258; IX, 21; X, 263; XI, 285; XII, 411-421. *MARTÈNE, Edmond, and André DURAND, eds
''Veterum scriptorum et monumentorum ecclesiasticorum et dogmaticorum amplissima collectio''
9 vols. Paris, Montalant, 1724–1738, V, col. 1160-1174. *MURATORI, Ludovicus, ed. ''Antiquitates Italicae medii aevi''. 4 vols. Milan, 1738–1743, IV, col. 1075-1104. *WAITZ,Georg, ed. "Ex Richardi Pictaviensis Chronica." I
''Monumenta Germaniae Historica Scriptores (SS in folio)'
, Hanover, 1882 (reprint 1925), vol. XXVI, (Ex rerum Francogallicarum scriptoribus), p. 74.


Secondary sources

* É. BERGER, 'Richard le Poitevin, moine de Cluny, historien et poète', in ''Notice sur Divers Manuscrits de la Bibliothèque Vaticane. Bibliothèque des Écoles françaises d'Athènes et de Rome'', fasc. 6, Toulouse : A. Chauvin & Fils, 1879, pp. 45–140. *F. CAIRNS, "The addition to the Chronica of Richard of Poitiers," ''Mittellateinisches Jahrbuch'' 19 (1984), pp. 159–161. *H. KÜHL, "Zur Überlieferung und Rezeption der Weltchronik Richards von Cluny," in ''Aus Überrest und Tradition. Festschrift für Anna-Dorothee von den Brincken,'' (ed. P. Engels) Lauf : Pegnitz, 1999, pp. 73–92. *M. SAURETTE, "Tracing the Twelfth-Century ''Chronica'' of Richard of Poitiers, Monk of Cluny," ''Memini. Travaux et documents, Bulletin de la Socitété d'Études médiévales du Québec'' 9-10, (2005/2006), pp. 303–350. *I. SCHNACK, ''Richard von Cluny, seine Chronik und sein Kloster in den Anfängen der Kirchenspaltung von 1159. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Anschauungen von Kardinalskolleg und Papsttum im 12. und 13. Jahrhundert'' (Historische Studien, 146), Berlin : Ebering, 1921. *B. SCOTT, "Some Poems Attributed to Richard of Cluny," in'' Medieval Learning and Literature. Essays presented to Richard William Hunt'' (ed. J. J. G. Alexander), Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1976, pp. 181–199.


External links

*
A manuscript copy of the Catalogus and Treatises
{{Authority control French Benedictines 12th-century French historians Cluniacs French chroniclers Benedictine scholars Benedictine writers