medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> The cross before and/or after a name is not at all unusual on
> Carolingian objects.
Dear Genevra
Are you sure that a cross not only before, but also *after* the name is
occurring frequently on Carolingian (or other early medieval) objects? I am
familiar with crosses as opening and closing marks in high and later medieval
inscriptions, namely in epitaphs and the like, but I don't recall them as
enclosing names in particular. If there are samples among the seals in the
treasure trove of your homepage, I would be grateful if you could point me to
them.
Coming back to Vera's initial question: there is an interesting paper on the
Vlfberht inscriptions by Anne Stralsberg available online:
_The Vlfberht sword blades reevaluated_
http://jenny-rita.org/Annestamanus.pdf
Stralsberg, obviously no expert for linguistic and epi- or palaeographic
questions, is probably right to object, as others have done, against the
traditional "blacksmith" hypothesis, arguing that this signature or trademark is
pointing rather to a litterate person, a functionary or "overseer" (also
tentatively called a "swordsman") that she wants to place "in the ecclesiastical
or monasti hierarchy since there were two crosses in his signature". This latter
conclusion, however, is based on the assumption that "there are three groups of
persons whose signatures had and have an initial cross: Roman Catholic abbots,
bishops, and monasteries". A cross written manu propria was a common form of
confirming a signature (proof also for having "toched" the document in
confirmation of its content) and was by no means confined to the monastic or
ecclesiastical sphere. There are a number of specialized studies which I myself
have not read but should be useful for this question, as for instance:
Waldemar Schlögl, _Die Unterfertigung deutscher Könige von der Karolingerzeit
bis zum Interregnum durch Kreuz und Unterschrift_, Kallmünz über Regensburg:
Laßleben, 1978 (= Münchnere historische Studien, Abt. geschichtliche
Hilfswissenschaften, 16)
Lothar Saupe, _Die Unterfertigung der lateinischen Urkunden aus den
Nachfolgestaaten des Weströmischen Reiches: Vorkommen und Bedeutung, von den
Anfängen bis zur Mitte des 8. Jahrhunderts_, Kallmünz: Laßleben, 1983 (= MHS,
Abt. GH, 20)
Peter Rück (ed.), _Graphische Symbole in mittelalterlichen Urkunden: Beiträge
zur diplomatischen Semiotik_, Sigmaringen: Thorbecke, 1996
Joachim Wild, _Vom Handzeichen zur Unterschrift: zur Entwicklung der
Unterfertigung im Herzogtum Bayern_, in: Zeitschrift für bayerische
Landesgeschichte 63,1 (2000), p.1-21
Kind regards, O.
Dr. Otfried Lieberknecht
D-40477 Düsseldorf
Klever Str. 37
Tel. +49 (0) 172 407 6073
[log in to unmask]
http://www.lieberknecht.de
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|