Monastic Careers and Scientific Meritocracy in the 13th-century Church
Carrières monastiques et méritocratie scientifique dans l'Église séculière du XIIIe siècle
About John of Toledo, abbot of l'Épau, then cardinal
Autour de Jean de Tolède, abbé de l'Épau puis cardinal
Published on Thursday, November 14, 2024
Abstract
It has recently been proven that the famous Cardinal Jean de Tolède was indeed the first abbot of l'Épau, the abbey founded by Queen Berengaria of Navarre near Le Mans around 1230. This conference seekss to explore the various aspects of the career of this character and others like him, who passed through England, the Cistercian order, theological faculties and Toledo, before arriving at the Roman Curia, endowed with a solid medical culture, as well as alchemy and astrology.
Announcement
Argument
John of Toledo, one of the most influential members of the college of cardinals between 1244, when he became cardinal, and his death in 1275, remains a little-known figure despite his fame and influence in the 13th century. The recently established link with John, first abbot of l’Épau, with whom he can be identified, reveals both the richness of this character's career and the interest of taking a closer look at his career, as well as the intellectual and political milieu in which he evolved. English by birth, he followed a university curriculum that led him to the dignity of Doctor of Divinity, although his presence is not yet attested in Oxford or Paris. A renowned physician, Arabist and Hebraist, alchemist and astrologer, he may well have acquired his knowledge from the many specialized Arabic works preserved in Toledo’s libraries (which would explain his toponymic surname), although the circumstances of his eventual stay remain unknown. As a Cistercian monk, he passed through the Abbey of Clairvaux before being elected first abbot of l’Épau, the house that England’s dowager queen, Berengaria of Navarre, founded near Le Mans around 1230. From then on, John of Toledo played an important role in the General Chapter of Cîteaux, which led to exchanges with the Roman Curia, and to his being called to Italy in 1241 to take part in the Council. Promoted to the dignity of cardinal by Innocent IV in 1244, he was both a fervent defender of the Cistercian Order, earning the nickname “White Cardinal”, and of the English Church. Such a career path raises questions about the mechanisms behind his rise from the monastic world to the top of the secular Church in the 13th century. This congress aims to shed light on the trajectory that led him from his birth in England to the important role he played in the Curia for over thirty years, at a crucial moment in the political and intellectual evolution of the medieval West.
Papers will therefore deal with the environment and the institutions in which John of Toledo has been active in order to understand the links between them. In particular, they may address:
- The link between the Universities, and in particular theological studies, the monastic world and the first circles of the Church in the first half of the 13th century. To what extent were monastic orders pushing their members towards this pinnacle of learning? What benefits did the presence of theologians offer the Roman Curia?
- The role of scientific knowledge, particularly medicine, in promotion within the regular orders and the high clergy.
- The workings of the General Chapter of Cîteaux and the mechanisms for choosing its intermediaries for exchanges with Rome.
- The role of “protector of the Cistercian Order” within the college of cardinals: did monastic orders lobbies exist in the Curia?
- The role of defender of the Church of England within the same institution: how did geographical origins determine the political positioning of cardinals?
Submission guidelines
Papers will last 25 to 30 minutes (according to schedule). As far as possible, the organization will cover mission expenses in Europe.
Proposals (1,500 to 2,000 characters, including spaces) are expected
for February 3rd 2025.
They will be sent to colloquejeandetolede@univ-lemans.fr
The conference will be followed by a publication.
Texts will be expected by Spring 2026.
Working languages : English and French
Scientific committee
- Emilia Jamroziak, professor, University of Leeds
- Dominique Stutzmann, directeur de recherche, IRHT
- Claude Andrault-Schmitt, professeur émérite, Université de Poitiers – CESCM
- Bénédicte Fillion-Braguet, Université de Poitiers - CESCM
- Florent Cygler, maître de conférences, Nantes Université - CRHIA
- Ghislain Baury, maître de conférences, Le Mans Université - TEMOS
- Vincent Corriol, maître de conférences, Le Mans Université - TEMOS
Bibliographical suggestions
BAURY, Ghislain, « Jean de Tolède, premier abbé de l’Épau (1230-1244) puis cardinal (1244-1275) », Annales de Bretagne et des pays de l’Ouest, à paraître.
GEBERT, Björn, « Außerordentlich : Johann von Toledo OCist und seine Kontakte zu Kartäusern und anderen Ordensleuten. Ein Beitrag zur Beziehung zwischen Kartäuserorden und Kurie im 13. Jahrhundert », dans Hermann Josef ROTH (dir.), Die Kartäuser im Blickpunkt der Wissenschaften : 35 Jahre internationale Treffen 23.-25. Mai 2014 in der ehemaligen Kölner Kartause, Salzbourg, FB Angl. und Amerikan. Universität Salzburg, 2015, p. 113-122.
FISCHER, Andreas, Kardinäle im Konklave. Die lange Sedisvakanz der Jahre 1268 bis 1271, Tübingen, Max Niemeyer, 2008, p. 56-72.
NICOUD, Marilyn, Les régimes de santé au Moyen Âge. Naissance et diffusion d’une écriture médicale, XIIIe-XVe siècle, Rome, École Française de Rome, 2007, t. I, p. 87-145.
VINCI, Maria Gloria, « Il cardinale cistercense Giovanni da Toledo († 1275) e gli interessi per la medicina e l’alchimia alla corte dei papi del XIII secolo », Rivista Cistercense, 17-1, 2000, p. 5-32.
PARAVICINI BAGLIANI, Agostino, Cardinali di Curia e ‘Familiae’ cardinalizie dal 1227 al 1254, Padoue, Antenore, 1972, p. 228-255.
GRAUERT, Hermann, « Meister Johann von Toledo », Sitzungsberichte der philosophischphilologischen und der historischen Classe der k. b. Akademie den Wissenschaften zu München. Jahrgang 1901, Munich, k. Akademie, 1902, p. 111-325.
Subjects
Places
- Dortoir des Moines - Abbaye Royale de l'Épau
Yvré-l'Évêque, France (72)
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Monday, February 03, 2025
Attached files
Keywords
- XIIIe siècle, ordre cistercien, universités, médecine, sciences, école de Tolède, Église d'Angleterre, Curie romaine
Contact(s)
- Ghislain Baury
courriel : ghislain [dot] baury [at] univ-lemans [dot] fr - Vincent Corriol
courriel : vincent [dot] corriol [at] univ-lemans [dot] fr
Information source
- Ghislain Baury
courriel : ghislain [dot] baury [at] univ-lemans [dot] fr
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Monastic Careers and Scientific Meritocracy in the 13th-century Church », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Thursday, November 14, 2024, https://doi.org/10.58079/12oie
