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- Jordan of Giano, History and Memory, Francis of Assisi, Franciscan Studies, Intellectual History, Medieval History, and 13 moreEuropean History, Narrative and Identity, Heresy and Inquisition, Identity, History, Discourse and Narrative Analysis, History of Political and Institutional Reform, Institutional Reform, Political Reform, Economic Reforms, Cultural Reform, Social Reform, and Reform Movementsedit
- I am a historian of medieval religiosity and of the use of memory as a means to create identity narratives, particularly in the thirteenth century. My thesis, "Louis IX, the Most Christian King: How Changes in His Religious Perspective Affected His Practices and French Administration," explored t... moreI am a historian of medieval religiosity and of the use of memory as a means to create identity narratives, particularly in the thirteenth century. My thesis, "Louis IX, the Most Christian King: How Changes in His Religious Perspective Affected His Practices and French Administration," explored the evolution of Saint Louis' (1214–1270) piety throughout his reign, and how the changes in his expressions of religiosity affected the manner in which he governed his kingdom. With my dissertation, “Jordan of Giano’s Evangelical Vision: The Battle over the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century,” my focus shifted to investigate the use of personal and collective memory in Jordan of Giano’s (c. 1185–c. 1262) "Chronica" (1262) as he employed those memories to construct an identity narrative for the Friars Minor.edit
- Marcus Bulledit
My dissertation, “Jordan of Giano’s Evangelical Vision: The Battle over the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century,” explores the relationship between memory and narrative as found in Jordan of Giano’s (c. 1185–c. 1262) Chronica... more
My dissertation, “Jordan of Giano’s Evangelical Vision: The Battle over the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century,” explores the relationship between memory and narrative as found in Jordan of Giano’s (c. 1185–c. 1262) Chronica (1262). While the primary theme that this dissertation explores is the nature of Franciscan mission, that topic is considered in connection with the subjects of martyrdom, clericalization, education, simplicity, hierarchy, language, and the role of the cardinal protector. More to the point, this dissertation investigates the manner in which Jordan drew on Franciscan collective memory and his own personal memories of events pertaining to mission in order to discuss these themes as points of contention with respect to expressions of Franciscan identity. It is Jordan’s process of creating a new or a reinterpreted narrative that provides us with the most apparent insights into how friars as individuals and as groups remembered events and how they shaped those memories for the purpose of creating a group identity for the Friars Minor.
My dissertation aims to revise the extant historiography in two main areas: First, in contrast to the prevailing methodological approach to the text—which views Jordan’s Chronica as a source of fairly factual information that can be employed to answer the Franciscan Question, or the attempt to compile a biography of the historical Francis of Assisi (1181/1182–1226) and to ascertain his ideal intentions for the Order —this study emphasizes how Jordan relied primarily on personal and collective memory to compose the Chronica and how this reliance affected the resulting narrative. Second, instead of viewing the Chronica as merely recounting the primary events that occurred in relation to the Franciscan mission to Germany in 1221, this dissertation suggests that Jordan uses his narrative to express a clerical identity for the order, one that runs counter to an identity of simplicity that was expressed in Franciscan legenda composed in Italy during the early to mid thirteenth century. This dissertation argues that, in addition, we should read the sources in terms of the authors’ evolving understanding of the Order, how narrative construction affects the expression of that understanding, and to the extent to which this construction differs depending on the memories availably to the author as well as the author’s intent in constructing a particular narrative.
My dissertation aims to revise the extant historiography in two main areas: First, in contrast to the prevailing methodological approach to the text—which views Jordan’s Chronica as a source of fairly factual information that can be employed to answer the Franciscan Question, or the attempt to compile a biography of the historical Francis of Assisi (1181/1182–1226) and to ascertain his ideal intentions for the Order —this study emphasizes how Jordan relied primarily on personal and collective memory to compose the Chronica and how this reliance affected the resulting narrative. Second, instead of viewing the Chronica as merely recounting the primary events that occurred in relation to the Franciscan mission to Germany in 1221, this dissertation suggests that Jordan uses his narrative to express a clerical identity for the order, one that runs counter to an identity of simplicity that was expressed in Franciscan legenda composed in Italy during the early to mid thirteenth century. This dissertation argues that, in addition, we should read the sources in terms of the authors’ evolving understanding of the Order, how narrative construction affects the expression of that understanding, and to the extent to which this construction differs depending on the memories availably to the author as well as the author’s intent in constructing a particular narrative.
Research Interests: Multilingualism, History and Memory, Oral history, Martyrdom, Religiosity, and 12 moreOral History and Memory, History of the Franciscan Order, Medieval Franciscans, Mendicant Orders in Middle Ages, History of Christian Missions, Saint Francis of Assisi, Thomas of Celano, Jordan of Giano, Religious Mendicancy, Jordan of Giano's Chronica, Clericalization, and Franciscan Simplicity
Historians regard Louis IX of France, canonized by the papacy in 1297, as a religious king. Some historians present this religiosity as constant throughout his life, despite the fact that the source materials indicate changes after... more
Historians regard Louis IX of France, canonized by the papacy in 1297, as a religious king. Some historians present this religiosity as constant throughout his life, despite the fact that the source materials indicate changes after certain traumatic events: his near death from illness at Pontoise in 1244, the devastation during and after the Battle of Mansurah in 1250, and several incidents that almost sank his ship during the return journey to France in 1254. By mapping his expressions of religiosity before and after these traumatic events, we can see changes in the king’s behaviors. Because the king turned to his faith after each incident and adopted new mannerisms to show his love for his God, we can determine that he used his religious faith to determine how he interacted with the world.
The changes he made were often extreme. In 1244, he decided he needed to show more religiosity, and became a crusader. When he failed as a crusader in 1250, believing that it was because of his sins and those of the other crusaders, he determined that his level of religiosity was insufficient, and became penitent. With the return journey in 1254, he faced death three more times, and resolved to increase his level of penitence. From this, we can deduce that Louis enacted various reforms after his return to France as part of this enhanced atonement. With these reforms, the king attempted to end administrative abuses; to render justice by making parlement more available, and by evening the scales between rich and poor, as well as between native and foreigner; to stamp out vices, such as prostitution, gambling, blasphemy and usury, throughout the kingdom; and to abolish the use of Moslem coinage in the French realm by issuing a new gold coin, the gros. These changes were not popular among all of his subjects, something that is occasionally acknowledged by his hagiographers. Louis’ objective, though, was to ensure his eternal salvation through that of his subjects’.
The changes he made were often extreme. In 1244, he decided he needed to show more religiosity, and became a crusader. When he failed as a crusader in 1250, believing that it was because of his sins and those of the other crusaders, he determined that his level of religiosity was insufficient, and became penitent. With the return journey in 1254, he faced death three more times, and resolved to increase his level of penitence. From this, we can deduce that Louis enacted various reforms after his return to France as part of this enhanced atonement. With these reforms, the king attempted to end administrative abuses; to render justice by making parlement more available, and by evening the scales between rich and poor, as well as between native and foreigner; to stamp out vices, such as prostitution, gambling, blasphemy and usury, throughout the kingdom; and to abolish the use of Moslem coinage in the French realm by issuing a new gold coin, the gros. These changes were not popular among all of his subjects, something that is occasionally acknowledged by his hagiographers. Louis’ objective, though, was to ensure his eternal salvation through that of his subjects’.
Research Interests:
In 1932, Luigi Pompilj published his translation and analysis of Jordan of Giano's "Chronica." Of all of the translations and analyses of Jordan's work, Pompilj's study was the most difficult to locate, since very few copies of his book... more
In 1932, Luigi Pompilj published his translation and analysis of Jordan of Giano's "Chronica." Of all of the translations and analyses of Jordan's work, Pompilj's study was the most difficult to locate, since very few copies of his book exist.
For this document, the original book was scanned and transferred to digital form through optical character recognition. The digital text was compared to the original to correct errors. Formatting, line breaks, and pagination were updated. The only significant changes were the correction of a couple of endnote designations, one italicization of the preposition "de" in the Forward, one French spelling error in an endnote, and a few spacing alterations to preserve pagination. The text was not otherwise altered.
For this document, the original book was scanned and transferred to digital form through optical character recognition. The digital text was compared to the original to correct errors. Formatting, line breaks, and pagination were updated. The only significant changes were the correction of a couple of endnote designations, one italicization of the preposition "de" in the Forward, one French spelling error in an endnote, and a few spacing alterations to preserve pagination. The text was not otherwise altered.
Research Interests:
Chapter 3 from my dissertation, "Jordan of Giano’s Evangelical Vision: The Battle over the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century"