Rodulfus Glaber
Encyclopedia
Rodulfus Glaber (985–1047) was a monk
and chronicler of the years around 1000 and is one of the chief sources for the history of France
in that period.
where he met reforming Piedmont
ese cleric William of Volpiano
in about 1010. He moved to the Abbey of Cluny, headed by Abbot Odilon de Mercœur and finally to the Abbey of Saint-Germain en Auxerre
in 1039, where he remained until his death.
of William of Volpiano
, the Vita Sancti Guillelmi Abbatis Divionensis, but it is for his history that he is best known. This, entitled the Historiarum libri quinque ab anno incarnationis DCCCC usque ad annum MXLIV (History in five books from 900 AD to 1044 AD), was begun at Cluny, probably around 1026 and no later than 1027. Rodulfus' histories deal principally with France, but occasionally range as far as Scotland
and Southern Italy. Especially significant is his treatment of the end of the first millennium. He is the primary source for claims of widespread fear and divine omens (famines and eclipses) anticipating the end of the world. Nineteenth-century historians relying too heavily on this one monk of ill repute popularised the notion that the people of the late tenth century lived in superstitious fear of apocalyptic
nonevents.
Glaber is also the source for the phrase "white mantle of churches" describing the ubiquity of religious architecture in his age.
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
and chronicler of the years around 1000 and is one of the chief sources for the history of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in that period.
Life
His uncle, a monk at Saint-Léger-de-Champeaux, found him a place in the monastery when he was about twelve years old, but he was expelled for bad behaviour. Later he joined a monastery near DijonDijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
where he met reforming Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
ese cleric William of Volpiano
William of Volpiano
Saint William of Volpiano was an Italian monastic reformer and architect....
in about 1010. He moved to the Abbey of Cluny, headed by Abbot Odilon de Mercœur and finally to the Abbey of Saint-Germain en Auxerre
Abbey of Saint-Germain en Auxerre
The Abbey of Saint-Germain d'Auxerre was a Benedictine monastery in southern France, dedicated to its founder Saint Germain of Auxerre, the bishop of Auxerre, who died in 478...
in 1039, where he remained until his death.
Works
His works include a hagiographyHagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of William of Volpiano
William of Volpiano
Saint William of Volpiano was an Italian monastic reformer and architect....
, the Vita Sancti Guillelmi Abbatis Divionensis, but it is for his history that he is best known. This, entitled the Historiarum libri quinque ab anno incarnationis DCCCC usque ad annum MXLIV (History in five books from 900 AD to 1044 AD), was begun at Cluny, probably around 1026 and no later than 1027. Rodulfus' histories deal principally with France, but occasionally range as far as Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Southern Italy. Especially significant is his treatment of the end of the first millennium. He is the primary source for claims of widespread fear and divine omens (famines and eclipses) anticipating the end of the world. Nineteenth-century historians relying too heavily on this one monk of ill repute popularised the notion that the people of the late tenth century lived in superstitious fear of apocalyptic
Apocalypticism
Apocalypticism is the religious belief that there will be an apocalypse, a term which originally referred to a revelation of God's will, but now usually refers to belief that the world will come to an end time very soon, even within one's own lifetime...
nonevents.
Glaber is also the source for the phrase "white mantle of churches" describing the ubiquity of religious architecture in his age.
Further reading
- Rodulfi Glabri Historiarum Libri Quinque; Rodulfus Glaber, The Five Books of the Histories [cover title: Rodulfus Glaber, Opera] ed. J. France (Oxford, 1989)
External links
- Biography from the Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
- Biography from the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious KnowledgeSchaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious KnowledgeThe Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge is a religious encyclopedia. It is based on an earlier German encyclopedia, the Realencyklopädie für protestantische Theologie und Kirche. Like the Realencyklopädie, it focuses on Christianity from a primarily Protestant point of...
, Volume IV - Ralph Glaber's On the First Millennium at the Internet Medieval SourcebookInternet History Sourcebooks ProjectThe Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the Fordham University History Department and Center for Medieval Studies. It is a web site with modern, medieval and ancient primary source documents, maps, secondary sources, bibliographies, images and music. Paul Halsall is the editor, with...
- Opera Omnia by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical indexes