CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2012
| Author | Bradács, Gábor |
|---|---|
| Title | Poverty and poor relief in the Ottonian and Salian empire |
| Summary | This MA thesis aims to explore the so-far-little researched social stratum of the poor in the Holy Roman Empire between the tenth and early twelfth century and the royal and ecclesiastical efforts to aid them. From today’s perspective, the concept of “poverty” in the early medieval period can be misleading, especially in the Holy Roman Empire, where the vast majority of the population lived a rural lifestyle, so they might be generally regarded as poor according to our modern concept of poverty. However, there is no trace of organized poor relief in either the Carolingian Empire or the early medieval Holy Roman Empire ruled by the kings and emperors of the Liudolfing (better known as the Ottonian) or Salian dynasties. Hospitality as the part of poor relief had a relatively organized framework at pilgrimage sites and also at the so-called hospicia. The other constant institutions of the organized poor relief were the palaces of the bishops in the bishopric towns and the buildings of the cathedral chapters, where the poor of the city were assisted. The Ottonians (between 919 and 1024) continued the Carolingian practice by establishing new hospicia or confirming the existing ones, as well as by providing economic benefits to the monasteries for poor relief. Under the Salian rulers (between 1024 and 1125), a remarkable change occurred in the ideology of poor relief, namely, the emergence of the idea of memory and commemoration of the dead predecessors of the rulers (who were actually their parents and grandparents): agapes, feasts organized annually or more frequently for the salvation of the ancestors’ souls. It is clear, however, that such events served the interests of royal representation rather than a welfare service in the modern context. |
| Supervisor | Ziemann, Daniel |
| Department | Medieval Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2012/bradacs_gabor.pdf |
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