English Benedictine Monks at the Papal Court in the Thirteenth Century: The Experience of Thomas of Marlborough in a Wider Context

Sayers, Jane E.

doi:10.1484/j.jmms.1.103650

Cited by 2 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Thomas presumably originated from Wiltshire in southwest England, before studying at Paris (probably in the 1180s) and then Oxford, where he read canon law (Sayers, 2013: 110). His life was thereafter bound to a single institution: in around 1199/1200 he was professed at the Benedictine abbey of Evesham.…”

Section: The Account By Thomas Of Marlboroughmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Through his representation of the pope's actions, language and body language, Thomas creates a sense of the curia versus visitors, of insiders versus outsiders: the pope offers the joke solely for the amusement of the cardinals, is physically turned towards the cardinals and addresses them in a different language 43 . Indeed, throughout his account of his curial visit Thomas draws attention to his outsider status: for example, he admits to paying the doorkeeper so he can access the hall, and he never enters the pope's private quarters ( Chronicle : 312–13; Sayers, 2013: 121) 44 . He also notes the curia's slow pace and the long periods of waiting for an audience.…”

Section: Thomas's Smiling and Joking Popementioning

confidence: 99%

“… 8 See William of Andres, Chronica Andrensis , MGH SS 24:737–8; Thomas of Marlborough, Chronicle : 312–13; Sayers, 2013: 121; and see also the Canterbury monks’ comments (above, n. 1). For similar issues regarding access to King Henry II, see Peter of Blois, Opera Omnia 1:51–2; Vincent, 2007: 310.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 12 Sayers and Watkiss, 2013: xxi. For summaries of the lawsuit see Knowles, 1963: 331–45; Sayers, 2013.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 14 Thomas's expenses in Rome are a recurring theme: Chronicle : 284–7, 428–31; see also Sayers, 2013: 109–29.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Smiling, Laughing and Joking in Papal Rome: Thomas of Marlborough and Gerald of Wales at the Court of Innocent Iii (1198–1216)

Kynan-Wilson¹,

Fonnesberg-Schmidt²

2018

Pap. Br. Sch. Rome

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article examines textual descriptions of smiling, laughing and joking with the pope in thirteenth-century Rome. It focuses on two Anglo-Norman accounts of conducting litigation at the papal curia: Thomas of Marlborough's (d.1236) Chronicon abbatiae de Evesham and Gerald of Wales's (c. 1146–1220×23) De jure et statu Menevensis ecclesiae. Both authors include several careful and prominent references to smiling, laughing and joking, and specifically in relation to Pope Innocent III. These passages have previously been read as straightforward examples of wit and friendship, but this study shows that the authors use these physiological expressions to convey complex and subtly different pictures of the papal curia. Above all, this article demonstrates how Thomas and Gerald's descriptions of humorous interactions with the pope play crucial narrative and mnemonic roles within their work.

show abstract

Section: The Account By Thomas Of Marlboroughmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thomas's Smiling and Joking Popementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 12 Sayers and Watkiss, 2013: xxi. For summaries of the lawsuit see Knowles, 1963: 331–45; Sayers, 2013.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 14 Thomas's expenses in Rome are a recurring theme: Chronicle : 284–7, 428–31; see also Sayers, 2013: 109–29.…”

mentioning