John S. Ott (c2008, 2012)
Department of History
Portland State University
HST 355U - Late Medieval History

STUDY QUESTIONS AND READING GUIDE
  for GUIBERT OF NOGENT, A MONK'S CONFESSION


Prefatory notes

Our readings begin this term with the memoirs of Guibert, writer, historian, theologian, monk of Saint-Germer of Fly (near the town of Beauvais), and finally abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy (d. ca. 1124), a relatively modest monastery located northeast of Paris.  Guibert produced his memoirs, which he referred to as monodiae, or “songs for a single voice,” during the year 1115.  He was an acute observer of the times in which he lived, and his memoir is the first fully preserved, authentic autobiography written since that of Augustine of Hippo, the Latin Church Father and theologian, in 397.  In his memoir, Guibert primarily observed and commented upon affairs in the neighboring dioceses of Laon and Beauvais (see map inset, p. xli in Archambault), rarely venturing outside this constrained geographical territory in his writings.  Although the limits of his life experience were resolutely local, Guibert was aware of events going on in the wider world which he heard from eyewitnesses, and captures the spirit of an age undergoing rapid transformation at all levels of society.  That spirit, in religious and psychological terms, is depicted most vividly in Guibert's portrayal of himself and his intellectual and religious life.

Book I opens with an account of Guibert’s youth and childhood, and concentrates primarily on describing his family life, schooling, and time as a novice at the monastery of Saint-Germer.  His father died while he was still quite young, and his mother never remarried.  These pages present us with a psychological portrait of a medieval monk and member of the lesser nobility.  It is a highly particular portrait, one in which Guibert emphasizes certain aspects of his life while neglecting others.  As you read, consider the following questions and try to produce a profile of the author.

1) What, chiefly, are Guibert's preoccupations?  What kind of childhood did he have--or, better still, how does he choose to remember his childhood?  More importantly, how does he remember his mother?  How did she influence his life?  What pressures and concerns troubled Guibert's family?  What does the notion and practice of confession contribute to the structure of the text?
2) What is Guibert's take on his times?  Is he optimistic or pessimistic about the direction in which society is headed?  
3) What basic assumptions does he make as an historian?  What kind of moral framework does he seem to be working from?

In Book II, Guibert moves his readers into a consideration of the circumstances of his election to the abbacy of Nogent.  This is by far the shortest of the three books in the memoir.  It opens with his consideration of the abbey's historical origins--prompted by his discovery of some ancient sarcophagi around the abbey and his exploration of their remains.  The Book closes with mention of his mother's death and of some wondrous events nearby.  In between, Guibert alludes darkly at troubles that overhung his early abbacy (which began in 1104), and sheds light on his view of the distant past.

Guibert's focus in Book III is on (1) the bishops of Laon and (2) the new commune of the same town.  As you will see, he is loud in his criticism of the bishops of that city; in his criticism of the lord of the nearby domain of Coucy, Enguerrand, and of Enguerrand's son, Thomas of Marle; and of the townspeople of Laon.  Laon at this time was a prosperous cathedral town of perhaps 10-12,000 residents.  It sat in the middle of a vast vine-growing region, and was a center of wine production and regional trade.  Its merchants were thus relatively prosperous, and desired to obtain from their bishop the privilege of exemption from the taxes and tolls they had customarily owed to him and the leading nobles of the city.  Laon was best known, however, for its cathedral school, whose master, Anselm, attracted ambitious students from all over Europe to sit at his feet and listen to his lessons on and expositions of the scriptures.  Laon was in many respects a "college town" with a large transient student population, considerable local wealth, and a prominent and prestigious clergy.

Guibert mentions a large cast of characters; here is a guide to help you sort through them.

canons - members of the clergy attached to the cathedral, numbering several dozen in all.  The canons assisted the bishop in governing the cathedral, administering its properties and parishioners, and conducting the daily church services. Below these top officers were the chanter (responsible for music and the choir), deacons, subdeacons, canons, acolytes, and others of lesser status, plus many servants.  The various upper ranks of the cathedral canons are:
castellan - a vassal of the French king, responsible for representing his interests at Laon, where the castellan possessed various properties and controlled a fortified tower

count - a secular officer, once the chief vassals of the king, now quasi-independent.  The counts of Coucy, a castle which sat close to Nogent, were quite powerful locally thanks to the efforts of Count Enguerrand.  Enguerrand's relatives were, at different times, bishops of Laon and Amiens.

vidame (vicedominus, or "sub-lord") - one of the bishop's chief lay vassals, responsible for protecting the church and dealing with secular matters

1) Does Guibert support or dislike the commune of Laon? Why? What is it, and who seems to belong to it?
2) Why do you think Guibert spends so much time discussing the history of the bishops of Laon?  What do they have to do with the commune of 1111/1112?  What insight does Guibert's description of them shed on his understanding of history and how it works?
3) What is the king's role in all this?  Is he an effective or weak ruler in Guibert's estimation?  What sort of image does Guibert paint of him?  (The king at this time was Louis VI "the Fat," who ruled from 1108-1137 and was widely praised in other circles.)
4) Try to diagram Guibert's world-view: what mattered to him, and why?  In what ways is his view "biased" or skewed?  Do you think he is fairly representative of the medieval clerical establishment?  If so, how; if not, why?