| Paper 530-a | Images of Power: Bernard of Clairvaux and Unam Sanctam, 1302
(Language: English)
Alice Chapman, Department of History, Grand Valley State University, Michigan
Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Monasticism, Political Thought, Religious Life |
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| Paper 530-b | 'He who has the bride': Bridal Imagery and Papal Authority
(Language: English)
Line Cecilie Engh, Istituto di Norvegia, Roma / Institutt for filosofi, ide- og kunsthistorie og klassiske språk, Universitetet i Oslo
Index terms: Gender Studies, Political Thought, Rhetoric, Theology |
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| Paper 530-c | A Reconsideration of the Cistercian Reichsvogtei: Rudolf of Habsburg, Philip III, and the Cistercian General Chapter
(Language: English)
Toshio Ohnuki, Department of History, Okayama University
Index terms: Charters and Diplomatics, Local History, Monasticism, Politics and Diplomacy |
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| Abstract | Paper -a:
When Pope Boniface VIII issued the papal bull Unam Sanctam in 1302, it reflected a high point in the hierocratic claim of papal power. Citing Bernard of Clairvaux's (d. 1153) 12th-century work, Five Books on Consideration Advice to a Pope (De consideratione), the bull declared that the temporal sword was subject to the spiritual and likewise, secular power was derived from the church. This claim was based on the unity of the mystical body, which had one head directing the whole body. Punctuating the importance of unity, the bull contains bridal imagery, the image of the ark and Noah and the unity of the two swords to establish arguments for the supremacy of the church. Although the exalted claims of ecclesiastical superiority in Unam Sanctam far exceed the original image of the two swords in the De consideratione, Bernard's texts were nevertheless influential. In particular, Bernard had already established the distinction between the possession and the use of secular power as early as the 12th century.
Paper -b:
This paper enquires into bridal imagery as a vehicle for expressing concepts of papal authority from Bernard of Clairvaux to Innocent III. I argue that bridal imagery engendered complex ideological models - imbued with inferences regarding household, fecundity, gender, body, and sexuality - that established and negotiated political relations and hierarchies. Firstly, the figure of the bride provided a means of delineating boundaries - especially between the secular and the sacred spheres, between celibates and non-celibates, and between superior and inferior. Secondly, bridal imagery surfaced as a primary way of structuring supremacy and subservience by forging and even imposing notions of papal authority over and against emperors, kings, and other bishops. I suggest that influences from Cistercian devotion gave a heightened urgency to the papacy's use of bridal imagery as well as modifications in the representations of the bride - such as increased idealisation, increased emphasis on images of fecundity and fertility - compared with the earlier Gregorian period.
Paper -c:
In 1276 Rudolf I of Habsburg sent letters to Philip III entrusting the French king with the protection of his Cistercian abbey Orval near France. This exceptional case has so far been interpreted as the earliest expansion by the French monarchy vis-à-vis Germany. From this perspective, however, little can be known about the actual circumstances of the abbey and the significance of the Reichsvogtei, the advocacy of the German kingship to the Cistercian Order. The Reichsvogtei, the royal power to protect Cistercian monasteries, was used by the Hohenstaufen dynasty as a means to solidify its political foundation. Incorporating the function of the Cistercian General Chapter into the discussion, this paper examines the effectiveness of the Reichsvogtei and the meaning of the border for the Reich.
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