Articles/Book chapters by Sven Meeder
Aneignungen der Geschichte Narrative Evidenzstrategien und politische Legitimation im europäischen Mittelalter, 2024
Early Medieval Europe, 2023
Normative texts need to be authoritative to be effective in communicating norms and rules. Recent... more Normative texts need to be authoritative to be effective in communicating norms and rules. Recent scholarship has shown a renewed interest in the authoritative status of the texts within early medieval works of canon law and the ways in which authority is reflected in the practice of attribution, promulgation, or organization. A small canonical collection known as the Collectio 91 capitulorum appears to flout the received knowledge. The current article presents this modest collection. It explores the relationship between ‘authority’ and canon law in general, and examines the negotiation of authority within this collection in particular.
Social and Intellectual Networking in the Early Middle Ages, 2023
Settimane di Studio del Centro Italiano di Studi sull’Alto Medioevo 66 , 2019
This essay looks at the social and cultural aspects of the Irish peregrinatio to the Continent. T... more This essay looks at the social and cultural aspects of the Irish peregrinatio to the Continent. The Irish wanderlust is generally recognised to have witnessed two phases; that of the Irish missions from the late sixth century and that of the Irish scholars flocking to the Continent in search for patrons in the late eighth and ninth centuries. In both phases, the migrants were consciously bringing social and cultural contributions to their new homes, while also having to negotiate continental norms and expectations. This essay aims to reflect on the ensuing episodes of cultural exchange, in particular the processes that determined how resident and incoming customs, practice, and beliefs were balanced, and the differences and similarities in this respect between the two phases. An important aspect will be identity formation and the extend to which the act of migrating and the role of the Irish in cultural exchange contributed to their self-definition and outsiders' views of them.
in: Elina Screen and Charles West (ed.), Writing the Early Medieval West. Studies in Honour of Rosamond McKitterick (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), 2018
The historical foundation of Benedict of Nursia, the monastery of Monte Cassino was refounded in ... more The historical foundation of Benedict of Nursia, the monastery of Monte Cassino was refounded in the eighth century, and quickly grew to become one of the most important religious centres in early medieval Europe. Although located at the periphery of the Carolingian world, Monte Cassino’s association with St Benedict ensured its crucial importance for the Carolingian rulers and monastic networks in Francia. The monastery’s geographical position engendered relations with centres in Benevento and papal Rome, as well as with Byzantium to the east. The network of knowledge facilitating its scholarly growth, however, seems chiefly to have looked northwards. This chapter studies the earliest extant manuscript material from Monte Cassino and concludes that the intellectual relations were in fact predominantly focused on the Carolingian centres in northern Italy and across the Alps.
in: Rob Meens et al. (eds.), Religious Franks. Religion and power in the Frankish Kingdoms: Studi... more in: Rob Meens et al. (eds.), Religious Franks. Religion and power in the Frankish Kingdoms: Studies in honour of Mayke de Jong (Manchester, 2016).
We have grown accustomed to viewing relations between the Carolingian court and the monasteries within the realm in terms of politics and economics. Confirmation charters and (land) grants are evidence of transactions with benefits for both parties, often very material in nature or closely related to worldly power. The relations with the abbey of Monte Cassino break this paradigm somewhat, not only because it was situated outside the Carolingian empire, but also because its spiritual prestige trumped any worldly benefit to be gained. This essay studies the interplay between power politics and religion in the Carolingians' relations with Monte Cassino.
in: R. Flechner and S. Meeder (eds.), The Irish in Early Medieval Europe: Identity, Culture and R... more in: R. Flechner and S. Meeder (eds.), The Irish in Early Medieval Europe: Identity, Culture and Religion (London/New York, 2016), 195-213
in: R. Flechner and S. Meeder (eds.), The Irish in Early Medieval Europe: Identity, Culture and R... more in: R. Flechner and S. Meeder (eds.), The Irish in Early Medieval Europe: Identity, Culture and Religion (London/New York, 2016), 179-94.
Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte.: …, Jan 1, 2012
The tract known as the Synodus II. S. Patricii is one of the earliest surviving canon law texts f... more The tract known as the Synodus II. S. Patricii is one of the earliest surviving canon law texts from Ireland. It has special signifiance as an early and important source of the "Romani" faction of the Irish Church. The work survives in two recensions, and like many Irish canon law texts, it has come to us in continental manuscripts only. In the past, the younger recension was considered to be the result of a confused continental scribe, not recognising the references to Irish circumstances. By exploring the relationship between the two recensions, and focusing on the meaning of the alterations, this article argues that the last recension was in fact the work of an early eighth-century Irish scholar, deliberately revising this particular sample of Irish Canon law scholarship to appeal to a new audience.
One of the few Irishmen active on the Continent in the eighth century of whom we have some inform... more One of the few Irishmen active on the Continent in the eighth century of whom we have some information was a priest (or bishop) named Clemens. Together with the Gaul Aldebert, this peregrinus was the subject of an extensive correspondence between Boniface and the pope, which eventually led to the condemnation of both men at the Roman Council of 745. The accusations brought against Clemens by Boniface display parallels with known Irish teachings and practices, as well as other allegations leveled against individual traveling Irishmen and the Irish in general. This article closely examines the context of Boniface's charges and introduces an additional source to the framing of his arguments. It argues that the allegations must be viewed in the context of both contemporary practices and debates in Irish church and society, and the portrayal of these Irish peculiarities in texts written in and spread throughout the mid-eighth-century Continent and Anglo-Saxon England.
Early Medieval Europe, Jan 1, 2005
In 1929 the great James Kenney argued that the early Irish Stowe Missal must have been produced a... more In 1929 the great James Kenney argued that the early Irish Stowe Missal must have been produced as a private service-book which a priest could easily carry around with him, but in recent decades scholars have claimed, either explicitly or implicitly, a different purpose for it. The codicological arguments proposed by Kenney are nevertheless still valid and this paper will argue that close linguistic examination of the manuscript's liturgical contents supports the theory that the Stowe Missal was an itinerarium, a book for a travelling cleric.
Monographs by Sven Meeder
Studies in Early Medieval History (Bloomsbury Academic: 2018)
The Carolingian period represented a Golden Age for the abbey of St Gall, an Alpine monastery in ... more The Carolingian period represented a Golden Age for the abbey of St Gall, an Alpine monastery in modern-day Switzerland. Its bloom of intellectual activity resulted in an impressive number of scholarly texts being copied into often beautifully written manuscripts, many of which survive in the abbey's library to this day. Among these books are several of Irish origin, while others contain works of learning originally written in Ireland. This study explores the practicalities of the spread of this Irish scholarship to St Gall and the reception it received once there. In doing so, this book for the first time investigates a part of the network of knowledge that fed this important Carolingian centre of learning with scholarship.
By focusing on scholarly works from Ireland, this study also sheds light on the contribution of the Irish to the Carolingian revival of learning. Historians have often assumed a special relationship between Ireland and the abbey of St Gall, which was built on the grave of the Irish saint Gallus. This book scrutinises this notion of a special connection. The result is a new viewpoint on the spread and reception of Irish learning in the Carolingian period.
Het jaar des Heren 697: op een drassig veld in de buurt van Dorestad staat de Friese koning Redba... more Het jaar des Heren 697: op een drassig veld in de buurt van Dorestad staat de Friese koning Redbad aan het hoofd van een heidense legerschare.
Vandaag neemt hij het op tegen de christelijke hofmeier Pippijn, de leider van het machtige Frankische rijk. Dit is de dag waarop de Friezen weerstand zullen bieden aan het christelijk imperialisme van de Franken. Maar het liep anders...
Dit is hoe we Redbad (of Radboud) kennen in de populaire verbeelding. De heidense Friese leider die het opnam tegen het machtige Frankische rijk en de groeiende invloed van het christendom. Een vorst die streed voor de Friese vrijheid. En zo wordt hij, min of meer, ook beschreven in de historische bronnen. Er is alleen iets met die bronnen aan de hand. Ze zijn allemaal (veel) later opgeschreven dan de gebeurtenissen die ze beschrijven. En uitsluitend door zijn politieke en religieuze tegenstanders. De Frankische kronieken en heiligenlevens hebben van Redbad als het ware een karikatuur gemaakt. Dat is problematisch als je de geschiedenis wilt reconstrueren. Maar dat betekent niet dat er niets te vertellen valt, integendeel. Door deze teksten in hun context te plaatsen en hun politieke boodschap te ontcijferen, wordt het mogelijk om mens en beeldvorming van elkaar te scheiden en krijgen we een beter beeld van wie Redbad was.
In dit boek willen we benadrukken wat we wél kunnen zeggen over Redbad. We beschrijven hoe de middeleeuwse auteurs omgingen met hun recente geschiedenis en hoe zij het verleden gebruikten en inzetten voor hun eigen doelen. Daarmee zullen we niet alleen een tipje oplichten van de sluier van het werk van gespecialiseerde historici, maar bieden we ook inzicht in hoe het tijdloze mechanisme van het gebruik en misbruik van het verleden ons beeld van de geschiedenis kleurt. Met als resultaat een fascinerend, spannend en meeslepend verhaal over een Friese held.
Edited volumes by Sven Meeder
Irish scholars who arrived in Continental Europe in the early Middle Ages are often credited with... more Irish scholars who arrived in Continental Europe in the early Middle Ages are often credited with making some of the most important contributions to European culture and learning of the time, from the introduction of a new calendar to monastic reform. Among them were celebrated personalities such as St Columbanus, John Scottus Eriugena, and Sedulius Scottus who were in the vanguard of a constant stream of arrivals from Ireland to continental Europe, collectively known as 'peregrini'. The continental response to this Irish 'diaspora' ranged from admiration to open hostility, especially when peregrini were deemed to challenge prevalent cultural or spiritual conventions.
This volume brings together leading historians, archaeologists, and palaeographers who provide—for the first time—a comprehensive assessment of the phenomenon of Irish peregrini in their continental context and the manner in which it is framed by modern scholarship as well as the popular imagination.
This volume analyses the importance of history, the textual resources of the past and the integra... more This volume analyses the importance of history, the textual resources of the past and the integration of Christian and imperial Rome into the cultural memory of early medieval Europe within the wider question of identity formation. The case studies in this book shed new light on the process of codification and modification of cultural heritage in the light of the transmission of texts and the extant manuscript evidence from the early middle ages. The authors demonstrate how particular texts and their early medieval manuscript representatives in Italy, Francia, Saxony and Bavaria not only reflect ethnic, social and cultural identities but themselves contributed to the creation of identities, gave meaning to social practice, and were often intended to inspire, guide, change, or prevent action, directly or indirectly. These texts are shown to be part of a cultural effort to shape the present by restructuring the past.
General audience articles (mostly in Dutch) by Sven Meeder
Ludger Magazine, 2021
Quite often, the Christianisation of the Low Countries is portrayed as a bloody scene in which im... more Quite often, the Christianisation of the Low Countries is portrayed as a bloody scene in which imperialist southerners bring the faith by force and violently crush those notorious refusers of the Gospel's message. Althought parts of that depiction are true, but it is definitely not the whole story. The life and works of the early medieval missionary Ludger show that there was loud opposition to these practices even then, argues Sven Meeder.
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Articles/Book chapters by Sven Meeder
We have grown accustomed to viewing relations between the Carolingian court and the monasteries within the realm in terms of politics and economics. Confirmation charters and (land) grants are evidence of transactions with benefits for both parties, often very material in nature or closely related to worldly power. The relations with the abbey of Monte Cassino break this paradigm somewhat, not only because it was situated outside the Carolingian empire, but also because its spiritual prestige trumped any worldly benefit to be gained. This essay studies the interplay between power politics and religion in the Carolingians' relations with Monte Cassino.
Monographs by Sven Meeder
By focusing on scholarly works from Ireland, this study also sheds light on the contribution of the Irish to the Carolingian revival of learning. Historians have often assumed a special relationship between Ireland and the abbey of St Gall, which was built on the grave of the Irish saint Gallus. This book scrutinises this notion of a special connection. The result is a new viewpoint on the spread and reception of Irish learning in the Carolingian period.
Vandaag neemt hij het op tegen de christelijke hofmeier Pippijn, de leider van het machtige Frankische rijk. Dit is de dag waarop de Friezen weerstand zullen bieden aan het christelijk imperialisme van de Franken. Maar het liep anders...
Dit is hoe we Redbad (of Radboud) kennen in de populaire verbeelding. De heidense Friese leider die het opnam tegen het machtige Frankische rijk en de groeiende invloed van het christendom. Een vorst die streed voor de Friese vrijheid. En zo wordt hij, min of meer, ook beschreven in de historische bronnen. Er is alleen iets met die bronnen aan de hand. Ze zijn allemaal (veel) later opgeschreven dan de gebeurtenissen die ze beschrijven. En uitsluitend door zijn politieke en religieuze tegenstanders. De Frankische kronieken en heiligenlevens hebben van Redbad als het ware een karikatuur gemaakt. Dat is problematisch als je de geschiedenis wilt reconstrueren. Maar dat betekent niet dat er niets te vertellen valt, integendeel. Door deze teksten in hun context te plaatsen en hun politieke boodschap te ontcijferen, wordt het mogelijk om mens en beeldvorming van elkaar te scheiden en krijgen we een beter beeld van wie Redbad was.
In dit boek willen we benadrukken wat we wél kunnen zeggen over Redbad. We beschrijven hoe de middeleeuwse auteurs omgingen met hun recente geschiedenis en hoe zij het verleden gebruikten en inzetten voor hun eigen doelen. Daarmee zullen we niet alleen een tipje oplichten van de sluier van het werk van gespecialiseerde historici, maar bieden we ook inzicht in hoe het tijdloze mechanisme van het gebruik en misbruik van het verleden ons beeld van de geschiedenis kleurt. Met als resultaat een fascinerend, spannend en meeslepend verhaal over een Friese held.
Edited volumes by Sven Meeder
This volume brings together leading historians, archaeologists, and palaeographers who provide—for the first time—a comprehensive assessment of the phenomenon of Irish peregrini in their continental context and the manner in which it is framed by modern scholarship as well as the popular imagination.
General audience articles (mostly in Dutch) by Sven Meeder
We have grown accustomed to viewing relations between the Carolingian court and the monasteries within the realm in terms of politics and economics. Confirmation charters and (land) grants are evidence of transactions with benefits for both parties, often very material in nature or closely related to worldly power. The relations with the abbey of Monte Cassino break this paradigm somewhat, not only because it was situated outside the Carolingian empire, but also because its spiritual prestige trumped any worldly benefit to be gained. This essay studies the interplay between power politics and religion in the Carolingians' relations with Monte Cassino.
By focusing on scholarly works from Ireland, this study also sheds light on the contribution of the Irish to the Carolingian revival of learning. Historians have often assumed a special relationship between Ireland and the abbey of St Gall, which was built on the grave of the Irish saint Gallus. This book scrutinises this notion of a special connection. The result is a new viewpoint on the spread and reception of Irish learning in the Carolingian period.
Vandaag neemt hij het op tegen de christelijke hofmeier Pippijn, de leider van het machtige Frankische rijk. Dit is de dag waarop de Friezen weerstand zullen bieden aan het christelijk imperialisme van de Franken. Maar het liep anders...
Dit is hoe we Redbad (of Radboud) kennen in de populaire verbeelding. De heidense Friese leider die het opnam tegen het machtige Frankische rijk en de groeiende invloed van het christendom. Een vorst die streed voor de Friese vrijheid. En zo wordt hij, min of meer, ook beschreven in de historische bronnen. Er is alleen iets met die bronnen aan de hand. Ze zijn allemaal (veel) later opgeschreven dan de gebeurtenissen die ze beschrijven. En uitsluitend door zijn politieke en religieuze tegenstanders. De Frankische kronieken en heiligenlevens hebben van Redbad als het ware een karikatuur gemaakt. Dat is problematisch als je de geschiedenis wilt reconstrueren. Maar dat betekent niet dat er niets te vertellen valt, integendeel. Door deze teksten in hun context te plaatsen en hun politieke boodschap te ontcijferen, wordt het mogelijk om mens en beeldvorming van elkaar te scheiden en krijgen we een beter beeld van wie Redbad was.
In dit boek willen we benadrukken wat we wél kunnen zeggen over Redbad. We beschrijven hoe de middeleeuwse auteurs omgingen met hun recente geschiedenis en hoe zij het verleden gebruikten en inzetten voor hun eigen doelen. Daarmee zullen we niet alleen een tipje oplichten van de sluier van het werk van gespecialiseerde historici, maar bieden we ook inzicht in hoe het tijdloze mechanisme van het gebruik en misbruik van het verleden ons beeld van de geschiedenis kleurt. Met als resultaat een fascinerend, spannend en meeslepend verhaal over een Friese held.
This volume brings together leading historians, archaeologists, and palaeographers who provide—for the first time—a comprehensive assessment of the phenomenon of Irish peregrini in their continental context and the manner in which it is framed by modern scholarship as well as the popular imagination.
In de geschiedschrijving van de Karolingische cultuur krijgen Ieren altijd een grote rol toebedeeld. Zo tussen 600 en 800 zouden geëmigreerde Ierse geleerden onevenredig veel hebben bijgedragen aan het geestelijk leven op het vasteland. Wie de bronnen erop naslaat, ziet inderdaad veel Ierse namen. Maar wat betekent dat precies?
(In het Erfgoedcentrum Achterhoek en Liemers te Doetinchem bevinden zich twee stukjes beschreven perkament die zijn gebruikt als schutblad voor de rekening van het stadsbestuur van Doetinchem voor het jaar 1533. Op het moment dat deze stadsrekening werd opgemaakt waren de perkamenten fragmenten al zo'n zes eeuwen oud. Deze bladen maakten namelijk oorspronkelijk deel uit van een negende-eeuws boek gevuld met preken van paus Gregorius de Grote (ob. 604). De fragmenten vormen nu het oudste bezit van het Erfgoedcentrum en zijn een aanleiding om eens nader te kijken naar de aanwezigheid van de teksten van Gregorius de Grote in de negende-eeuwse Lage Landen.)
I would not want to go so far as to claim that the Collectio 400 is an insular collection, not yet at least. Yet, I think it is fair to say that the eighth and ninth centuries display a dynamic exchange of canonical material and ideas between the British Isles and the Continent to such an extent, in fact, that the local characteristics of canonical material is no longer determines where it might turn up. It is, in other words, part of a pan-European repository of learning.
To what extent do contemporary sources reflect the terminology being used in modern historiography, and vice versa?
To what extent do ideas about early medieval states, politics, histor(iograph)y etc. impinge on our idea of "reform" at the time?
This workshop hopes to take a fresh look at Carolingian correctio starting from these three issues, since they have strongly influenced, if not determined, the discussion about "reforms" over the past decades.
Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a major source for the history of monasticism, but it has long been accessible only in two obscure nineteenth-century editions of its Latin text. The goal of the Hildemar Project is to make the entire commentary more accessible for research and teaching purposes. The first step is to provide a fully searchable version of the Latin text along with an English translation. This translation is a collaborative effort of more than fifty scholars, including specialists in monasticism, Latin, manuscripts studies, and Carolingian history.
Currently a slightly revised version of the Latin text from Rupert Mittermüller’s edition [Regensburg, 1880] is available on the site. The translation of all seventy-three chapters – one for each chapter of Benedict’s Rule – is now complete.
The website also provides a complete list of the manuscripts of Hildemar’s Commentary (with links to manuscript catalogues and manuscripts available online) and a complete bibliography of scholarship on Hildemar and his work.
The next step in the project will be to improve the Latin text presented on the website by providing links to the different versions of Hildemar’s work. Users will be able to compare the (problematic) nineteenth-century edition with the original manuscripts. A long-term goal of the Hildemar Project is to provide a new edition of Hildemar’s Commentary that meets the standards of a critical edition but also capitalizes on the greater flexibility and customization available in a digital environment.
The Hildemar Project is a collaborative project that profits from the expertise of as many scholars as possible and is tailored to the needs and interests of its users. Any form of feedback, suggestions for improvement, identification of sources, or commentary on the Latin text are welcome. Please either use the Forum or contact us directly.
The proposal deadline is: 1 March 2017.