Dear Gary,

>As you are the officially [SELF-] designated 'Would-be future curator of the
Centre des Etudes Chartraines'

Well, yeahbut, you left out the operative phrase (which the
non-htmlically-challenged will immediately recognize as rashly optimistic):
"...comming some time in the next millenium..."

>perhaps you could explain why, unlike some of the Italian towns like Genoa or
Piacenza, Chartres failed to find a local chronicler in the late twelfth or
early thirteenth century? 

Mmmm… 

At once a deceptively simple and profound question, as you no doubt fully
realize.

And, in any event, one which I am hardly qualified to answer.

Just to keep the ball in the air, I suppose one might ask in return: 

What would such a "local chronicler" look like?
What institution would support him? 
What would be his purpose in writing?

Would the fact that your Italian cities were "city-states" (I think), rather
than "just" seats of varying degress of regional political and ecclesiastical
power, be of any significance?

Are there similar "local chroniclers" anywhere else in this period?
"Chroniclers" of Paris, Rouen, Bourges... Not that I can think of, off the top
of my pointed head.

>The monastic chroniclers don't fill the bill: they (understandably) have
their own interests. 

This would seem to imply that your Italian examples (of whom I am in blissful
ignorance, soon to be dispelled by you, I trust) were *not* monastically
affiliated(?). 

Again, who supported them and what were their (stated or implied) 
purposes in writing?

Did suchlike institutions even exist in middle Capetian France?

Can we really make such a generalization re the "interests" (=?"intentions"?)
of "monastic chroniclers"?

E.g., though Orderic is certainly centered--physically, psychically and
intentionally--in his own house of St. Evroul, his wonderful history 
(with several interesting references to Chartres, btw) could hardly be styled
"parochial." 
How does he fit into your particular "interests."

Actually, as a browse through Auguste Molinier's _Les sources de l'histoire de
France_ might well demonstrate, narrative, "purely" historical, original
sources from this region--and, indeed, most everywhere else--in the 11th-13th
c. are somewhat scarce on the ground. 

>From my own, micro-historical, worm's eye work in the diocese (mostly 
based on charter evidence), I've found that I can about count them on the
fingers of one hand: Clarius of Sens (actually of little use for Chartres),
Orderic, the Moriginy Chronicle, Suger.... that's about it (I've *got* to be
forgetting something...., but not *much*).

There is a sort of historical introduction by the monk Paul, the 1080's
compiler of the Cartulary of St. Peter's ("Saint-Père") of Chartres 
(which I have in digital form, btw); 
but, other than that, I can't think of *any*thing specifically Chartrain in
the way of a narrative history which has survived from *before the early
modern period*.

There just doesn't seem to have been a regional tradition--as there certainly
*was*, curiously enough, in nearby, influential Normandy, for instance--of
writing the sorts of works which we think of as "history."

Perhaps the fault lies not in those stars, Horatio, but in ourselves:
maybe we should consider the possibility that what we call "history" was just
not a medieval concept category. 
(*Way* out of my depth here--the question should be floated on the Kansas
medieval history list, Mediev-L, where it would no doubt recieve an
erudite--and no doubt heated--airing.)

>Or should we blame this evident failure of civic consciousness to 
develop on the religion [sic: region?] of Capetian monarchy? 

*Could* do, I suppose.

Quite a bit has been done in recent years about the relationship between
"civic consciousness" and, say, cathedral building, the upshot of which, 
I believe, is that, in a certain sense, "cc" was alive and well, at least
amongst some of the pop.

A bit troubled by your "evident failure", and I think I'd hesitate to lay it
just there, if for no other reason than that "civic consciousness" smacks so
very much of being one of those Dreaded Modern Constructs, 
which are, of course, great No-Noes in Certain Quarters.

----------
I don't know what specific local history questions you have in mind. 

Chapters II (Ecclesiastical Traditions--100+ pp.!), III (Historical Studies)
and IV (Primary sources) of van der Meulen's Bibliography should be of some
use, if you can find a copy on your side of the waters.

And André Chédeville's _Chartres et ses compagnes_ is certainly worth a look
(assuming that you haven't done so already), though I've found that looking
*too* closely at it (like double checking footnote references) 
can be a bit disheartening for the appreciation of the whole.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to get my own little bibliography--mostly Cartularies
with some secondary marterial--together to upload to the Web. Be glad to send
you--or anyone else--a copy, if you like.

Best from here,

Christopher







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