Fulbert (Canon)

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Fulbert (* around 1060; † December 23, 1142 ) was subdeacon at the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1104 until after 1124. Fulbert was better known than through this office as the uncle and guardian of Heloisas and as the man who loved her The philosopher and theologian had Peter Abelard emasculated and thus became the subject of countless publications later.

Life

Born around 1060 in the Loire region of a noble family from Anjou, Fulbert is probably a half-brother of the Hersendis of Champagne , the first prioress of Fontevraud . He spent his youth in an ecclesiastical environment and earned his first merits, probably as a Puer or young canon at Orléans Cathedral .

Because of this, but also because of his later relationship with Abbot Odo von Marmoutiers and the relative specificity of his name, Fulbert's early presence in a geographical triangle that can be drawn roughly between the cities of Vendôme, Angers and Orléans is sufficiently documented.

Before 1075 the young Fulbert received a valuable relic from a chaplain from King Henry I's chapel named Guescelin , which he stole from the royal chapel of Orléans before 1060, namely a bone of Saint Ebrulf . It is very likely that this handover will take place in Orléans, not Paris.

Fulbert's admission to the cathedral chapter of Paris took place much later, but before 1102, under the protection of Bishop Wilhelm von Montfort . Wilhelm is the brother of Queen Bertrada von Montfort , to whom Fulbert's family has connections.

Paris, Plan de Bâle, 1552, Saint-Christophe and Fulbert's house are marked in red, with the poor hospital on the right

His appointment as subdeacon of Notre-Dame takes place at the Hospital Church Saint-Christophe , which is owned by Wilhelm von Montfort and has 2 of the cathedral's 11 subdiaconates. The priests of Saint-Christophe are responsible for the spiritual care of the inmates of the Hospitale pauperum in Paris. Both institutions are located in the lively Cité, to the west of the cathedral. Fulbert's house is right next to it, close to Saint-Christophe, roughly between the cathedral and the Petit Pont . Abelard confirms precisely this situation in his Historia Calamitatum .

Fulbert survived the quarrels about the occupation of the episcopal chair in Paris that followed the early death of Wilhelm von Montfort. He creates the change from the royal faction to the church reform movement; After 1107 he is mentioned several times in the files of the cathedral as a subdeacon, but there is no further career jump in the following years.

Fulbert catches Heloisa and Abelard, oil painting by Jean Vignaud, 1819

Around 1117, Fulbert accepted Peter Abelard , who meanwhile held the directly neighboring dialectic chair of Wilhelm von Champeaux , as a private tutor for his niece and his ward Heloisa in his house. Up until then, Heloisa had been raised in the Argenteuil nunnery , but now that she has grown up, she has moved to her uncle's house. When the love affair between the two of them becomes public, Fulbert separates the couple and a little later takes cruel revenge on Abelard: he has him emasculated. An episcopal investigative court presumably assumed that Fulbert was guilty and deprived him of part of his benefices for a time, but did not remove him from the position of subdeacon.

From Fulko von Deuil one learns that Fulbert comes from the nobility, Abelard describes his character: Fulbert is ambitious and business-minded, stingy and greedy, irascible and vengeful, also shows criminal energy when necessary.

During this time, Fulbert gives the above-mentioned Ebrulf relic back to the monastery of Saint-Evroult in Normandy , in order to avoid allegations of stealing relics .

These affairs did not affect Fulbert's church career significantly. Until 1124 he was one of 11 subdeacons at the cathedral of Paris, and he was still in important negotiations towards the end of his career (e.g. with Abbot Odo von Marmoutiers).

Some evidence suggests that Fulbert was getting very old and entering the Canon Regular Monastery of Saint-Victor towards the end of his life .

Fulbert died at the same time as Abelard, around 1142, in any case on December 23rd.

Heloisa does not seem to have completely turned away from Fulbert in her later life. She commemorates his death in the Paraclete's book of the dead and visits his last place of residence, Saint-Victor, in order to negotiate memorial dates for the deceased Abelard and the dead of Paraclete.

Curiosity

"Maison de Fulbert", Quai aux Fleurs, Paris
La Crypte archéologique du Parvis Notre-Dame

The house on the Quai aux Fleurs in Paris, which is presented to tourists as the Maison de Fulbert , has nothing to do with the life story of Heloisa and Fulbert, but is the product of a romantic legend. On the other hand, one comes archaeologically close to Fulbert and Heloisa if one visits today's city museum La Crypte Archéologique du Parvis Notre-Dame . In its north-east corner one finds the medieval cellar floors of houses, among which that of Fulbert could have been.

literature

Web links

Commons : Fulbert  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ↑ See W. Robl: Heloisas Ursprung, pp. 187ff .; W. Robl: Family History, p. 60.
  2. ^ Probably under the protection of the bishop; Between 1033 and 1067, members of the House of Champagne held the episcopate, each acquired simonically. See GC VII, Ecclesia Aurelianensis, Sp. 1434ff. However, more precise statements about this time can be made due to the lack of findings.
  3. ↑ After the death of the revered Bishop Fulbert of Chartres († 1029), the name Fulbert became very fashionable, especially in the Vendômois, which he had in fiefdom, but remained a rarity in Paris. See W. Robl: Heloisas Ursprung, p. 57f.
  4. ↑ Cf. O. Vitalis: Hist. eccl. II, l. VI, in: PL 188, Sp. 496. The relic was probably stolen when it was moved from the Saint-Maimbode church in Angers to Orléans, ie at a time when it was not found in a reliquary. C. Mews' argument that the chaplain in question could have been Stephan von Garlande , the later Abelard supporter, is dubious insofar as 1. Stephan had given the title of chaplain only as an honorary position (among numerous others) and an active altar service is unlikely, 2. the reliquary was probably not opened at the time, 3. it is also not very likely that a high-ranking person like him would have been active as a thief. In addition, the said passage from O. Vitalis says that 1. the transaction "olim", ie "a long time ago", 2. the theft from Heinrich I's chapel took place. There was only one royal chapel in Orléans and the mention of the royal name would not have made any real sense in Stephen's time.
  5. ↑ Fulbert's installation takes place initially as a simple canon, after 2 documents from 1099 and 1102, which mention Fulbert. See W. Robl: Familiengeschichte, p. 62.
  6. ↑ The subdiaconate was an altar service, which was usually provided in pairs. 9 of the 11 subdiaconates of Notre-Dame were therefore relocated to external titular churches belonging to the cathedral. See W. Robl: Peter Abelard in Paris, p. 45.
  7. ↑ At that time, the 52 benefactors of the cathedral only had 37 canon properties within the cloître, ie the canon court north of the cathedral, 15 of them therefore resided "extra muros", ie in a free zone in front of the gates of the cathedral, including Fulbert. See B. Guérard: Cartulaire Notre-Dame, Préface CIX.
  8. ↑ This also included lucrative vineyards near Ivry on the Seine
  9. ↑ As a chapter member, Fulbert was subject to very extensive immunity. After his mutilation, according to the regulations of canon law, Abelard would have had to produce no fewer than 7 witnesses for the conviction of Fulbert, which is in fact an impossibility. See W. Robl: Abelard in Paris, p. 63f.
  10. ↑ Cf. Fulko von Deuil: consolation letter to Abelard, and Peter Abelard: Historia calamitatum.
  11. ↑ Cf. O. Vitalis: Hist. eccl. II, l. VI, in: PL 188, col. 496.
  12. ↑ The newly founded Saint-Victor Abbey functioned as a pension institution for rich cathedral canons at this time. See W. Robl: Familiengeschichte, p. 49f .; W. Robl: Heloisas origin, p. 223ff.
  13. ↑ See Obituaire Latin du Paraclet, ed. Boutillier du Retail et Piétresson de Saint-Aubin, in: Recueil des Historiens de la France, Obituaires de la province de Sens, 4, Diocèse de Meaux et de Troyes, 1923, p. 429 ; Obituaire de la cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, in: Obituaires de la Province de Sens, ed.A. Molinier, 1, Diocèses de Sens et de Paris, Paris 1902, p. 210.
  14. ↑ See W. Robl: Heloisas Ursprung, pp. 228f.
personal data
SURNAME Fulbert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Uncle Fulbert
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Sub-deacon at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris
DATE OF BIRTH around 1060
DATE OF DEATH December 23, 1142
Place of death Saint-Victor, Paris