IntroductionWelcome to the "Literacy and the Role of the Written Word in Medieval Europe" exhibit! This exhibit aims at examining who had access to literacy in medieval Europe, what the purpose of reading and writing was during the Middle Ages, as well as what the impact of the written word was on medieval society. In this exhibit, you will be able to view manuscripts from the three different medieval periods: the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages.The artifacts, although almost all manuscripts, provide a wide variety of texts for you to look at. In this exhibit, you will examine original scripture, prose, law books, poetry, textbooks, tablets, devotionals, and even music, all of which demonstrate that the Middle Ages was not the "Dark Age" of intellectualism. The advancements in literacy and writing during the medieval era not only paved the way for the innovations of the Renaissance, but also for academia today.
You will find that the ways in which texts were written and read greatly evolved throughout the Middle Ages; it is vital to look at these transformations in literacy and literature, as they provide greater insight into shifts of medieval thought as a whole. The ways in which literacy and the content of texts transformed throughout the Middle Ages are demonstrative of contemporaneous societal and cultural changes. When you examine the artifacts below, look for changes in the script, language, content, and audience of the texts. Shifts from religious to secular, from Latin to vernacular, and from pragmatic to creative are all significant literary changes that were illustrative of the evolving values of medieval society. Before you begin looking through the exhibit, it is first important to understand the basis of medieval literacy. "Literacy," as it was considered during the Early Middle Ages, does not quite match our modern conception of the term. As you will see throughout the entire exhibit, medieval literacy consisted of many elements: memory, orality, iconography, and words on a page. The combination of these aspects of literacy was in constant flux throughout the entire medieval period; literacy became less dependent upon orality and increasingly dependent upon a mixture of writing and illustrations. As such, the transformation of literacy in the Middle Ages paved the way for our modern notion of literacy education. However, each of the elements of medieval literacy is traceable throughout the entirety of the period, with some elements becoming more subtle than others. Some forms of literacy, like oral tradition and memorization, were devalued towards the Late Middle Ages, becoming the "literacy" of the peasantry.This way of thinking will remain throughout the Renaissance as well, and in many ways is prevalent still today. Finally, the most important concept to keep in mind while you explore these manuscripts is that literacy (during the Middle Ages and today,) is inextricably tied to power. Throughout this exhibit, you will see the written word used as legitimization of religion, law, lineage, and thought. Those who had the power were those who chose which languages were valued and which topics were valued; this phenomenon remains true today. Those who had the privilege to be literate were those who could in turn utilize the texts in this exhibit to their advantage and enjoyment. So, although this exhibit aims to demonstrate the intellectual and cultural changes of the Middle Ages, it also aims to provide insight into the power that literacy held during this period. To experience the items in this exhibit properly, click on one of the artifacts below. I recommend following the order in which the artifacts are listed on this page, as it will be easier for you to trace the many shifts in medieval literacy throughout the 1000-year period. Please enjoy! - Carrie Sikich, Marquette University |
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Literacy in the Early Middle Ages
Sample of Carolingian Miniscule Script
Folio-Sized Page from Carolingian Gospel Book
Written at the Monastery of St. Martin of Tours John 23: 15-26
Written in Latin Dated 820-830 AD
British Library (Online Access), MS Add. 11848
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_11848
Folio-Sized Page from Carolingian Gospel Book
Written at the Monastery of St. Martin of Tours John 23: 15-26
Written in Latin Dated 820-830 AD
British Library (Online Access), MS Add. 11848
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_11848
Frontispiece of a Text called BN lat. 4404
Early 9th Century Gauls, Tours
Parchment
335 x 220-225 mm
Written in Early Caroline Miniscule
Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Paris
http://www.leges.uni-koeln.de/en/mss/codices/paris-bn-lat-4404/
Early 9th Century Gauls, Tours
Parchment
335 x 220-225 mm
Written in Early Caroline Miniscule
Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Paris
http://www.leges.uni-koeln.de/en/mss/codices/paris-bn-lat-4404/
The High Middle Ages
Image of Merlin Building Stonehenge
Manuscript of Roman de Brut (a History of Britain) written by Wace
Written 1155
Manuscript from the late 14th century
Written in Old French
Medium: Vellum, 200 x 120 mm
British Library; Egerton 3028, f. 30
https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/TourArtEarly.asp
Manuscript of Roman de Brut (a History of Britain) written by Wace
Written 1155
Manuscript from the late 14th century
Written in Old French
Medium: Vellum, 200 x 120 mm
British Library; Egerton 3028, f. 30
https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/TourArtEarly.asp
Image of Trota of Salerno
Folio Sized Parchment
Manuscript of the Trotula Texts
Written in the 12th century, Manuscript from Early 14th ce. France
Salerno
Language: Southern Italian Dialect
London, Wellcome Library, MS 544
http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2015/08/speaking-of-trotula/
Folio Sized Parchment
Manuscript of the Trotula Texts
Written in the 12th century, Manuscript from Early 14th ce. France
Salerno
Language: Southern Italian Dialect
London, Wellcome Library, MS 544
http://blog.wellcomelibrary.org/2015/08/speaking-of-trotula/
Page from a Textbook from a Parisian University
C. 1309-1316
Made for Francis Caracciolo of Naples, Chancellor of Paris to give to King Robert of Naples
Written in Latin
Gothic Script
Medium: Parchment
\405 x 290 mm
British Library, Burney MS 275
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=burney_ms_275_f001r
C. 1309-1316
Made for Francis Caracciolo of Naples, Chancellor of Paris to give to King Robert of Naples
Written in Latin
Gothic Script
Medium: Parchment
\405 x 290 mm
British Library, Burney MS 275
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=burney_ms_275_f001r
The Late Middle Ages
Cover of a Wax Writing Tablet
Ca. 1325-50
Paris
Ivory, 9.3x5.9x.8 cm
The Met Ivory Cloisters, 2003.131.3a, b https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/475489
Ca. 1325-50
Paris
Ivory, 9.3x5.9x.8 cm
The Met Ivory Cloisters, 2003.131.3a, b https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/475489
Image of Lancelot and Guinevere
Manuscript of the Prose Lancelot Grail (St. Omer of Tournai)
c. 1315-1325
400 x 290 mm
Written in the Picard Dialect
Medium: Parchment
Flanders, France
Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, British Library, MS. 10293, f. 349 https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/TourArtProse.asp#ENTIRE
Manuscript of the Prose Lancelot Grail (St. Omer of Tournai)
c. 1315-1325
400 x 290 mm
Written in the Picard Dialect
Medium: Parchment
Flanders, France
Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts, British Library, MS. 10293, f. 349 https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/TourArtProse.asp#ENTIRE
Page from the Prayer Book of Charles the Bold
Made by: Vienna Master of Mary of Burgundy, Lievan van Lathem, and Nicolas Spierinc (Flemish artists and scribes)
Created in Belgium, Illuminated in Antwerp
1469
12.3 x 9.2 cm
Medium: “Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, silver paint, and ink on parchment bound between wood boards covered with purple velvet” (description from Paul J. Getty Museum)
Language: Latin
Paul J. Getty Museum, MS. 37
http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/1511/vienna-master-of-mary-of-burgundy-and-workshop-lieven-van-lathem-and-workshop-and-nicolas-spierinc-prayer-book-of-charles-the-bold-flemish-and-french-1469-about-1471-and-about-1480-1490/
Made by: Vienna Master of Mary of Burgundy, Lievan van Lathem, and Nicolas Spierinc (Flemish artists and scribes)
Created in Belgium, Illuminated in Antwerp
1469
12.3 x 9.2 cm
Medium: “Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, silver paint, and ink on parchment bound between wood boards covered with purple velvet” (description from Paul J. Getty Museum)
Language: Latin
Paul J. Getty Museum, MS. 37
http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/1511/vienna-master-of-mary-of-burgundy-and-workshop-lieven-van-lathem-and-workshop-and-nicolas-spierinc-prayer-book-of-charles-the-bold-flemish-and-french-1469-about-1471-and-about-1480-1490/
Manuscript of Motet "Quant en moy / Amour et biaute / Amara valde"
Taken from William of Machaut, Poems: Judgment of the King of Bohemia, called Judgment of the King of Behaigne (1-22v), Remedy of Fortune (23-58v), said of Alerion (59-92v), Dit du Verger (93- 102v), Dit du Lion (103-120v), Praise of the Ladies (120v-148v), Lais, motets, ballads, rondeaux and virelais (148v-225).
Written by Guillaume de Machaut
Ca. 1350-1355
Paris, France
French and Latin
Medium: Parchment
Bibliotheque Nationale de France
Identifiant: ark:/12148/btv1b8449043q
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b8449043q/f325.item
“The Passion” from Manuscript Add 37049
Late 15th century
Northern England, Possible Carthusian Origin (Lincolnshire or Yorkshire Monastary)
Written in N. English Dialect, Gothic Cursive
Medium: Parchment
270 x 200 mm
British Library Additional 32049 f.23
https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=13270
Late 15th century
Northern England, Possible Carthusian Origin (Lincolnshire or Yorkshire Monastary)
Written in N. English Dialect, Gothic Cursive
Medium: Parchment
270 x 200 mm
British Library Additional 32049 f.23
https://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=13270