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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture ..... it seems likely to me that one circumstance under > which a first-born son might have been destined for the church (though > not for high office in the church) was when that son labored under some > sort of defect (mental slowness, for example) making him significantly > less than ideal as a future manager of the family's estates and other > interests. Indeed, I vaguely recall having at times been aware of an > example or two -- though, to be sure, I cannot think of one just now. Which pulls us back to Peter Abelard, who was his parents' first born son - tho' he was not born suffering from any defect or handicap: that was acquired later. (:-) In his autobiography, PA says that he showed such talent for learning that as a boy - any age from 7 to 14 - he was permitted to renounce his patrimony to his younger brother (Most likely Dagobert) and become a clerk - and his father (who seems to have been a clerk manqué ) was happy to permit this. A younger brother of the siblings Abelard, Dagobert, Dionysia, and Rudalphus did become a Canon of Nantes Cathedral - Porcharius. We do not know if Porcharius suffered from any disability but he became a Cistercian monk in later life - AFTER brother PA was dead and could not disapprove! What happened to Dionysia and Rudalphus has not yet been discovered. There were a number of senior clerics in the Nantes area at the right date called Rudalphus but the name is fairly common so no identification is possible. Dagobert is presumed to have become the heir to le Pallet because he is the only one known to have married - or at any rate to have (legitimate ?) sons. Brenda. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 266.4.0 - Release Date: 22/02/05 ********************************************************************** 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