Dynamics of Literacy in Medieval Europe

Studies in Honour of Marco Mostert

Rhijn, Carine van
Meens, Rob (ed.)
Van den Hoven van Gerderen, A. J. (ed.)

This book honours the achievements of Marco Mostert, professor of Medieval History at Utrecht University. Marco has been one of the main promotors and proponents of the expanding field of studies in medieval literacy and orality. The book celebrates his legacy by focusing on communication and writing in the Middle Ages, themes central to Marco’s interest. It is divided into two sections. Part I covers the early medieval period, focusing on manuscripts and texts, mainly those produced by clerics. Articles in this section includes studies on the liturgical hymn Te Deum; Carolingian political hegemony in Frisia; a new Carolingian witness of Suetonius’s Life of Caesars; the Utrecht Psalter and its historical context; monastic socialization; political communication through sermons; manuscript annotations at Fleury-sur-Loire; Ademar of Chabannes's final years; and the semantic field of communicatio.
Part II shifts focus to written communication in broader societal layers in the later medieval period, when writing became significant for other societal groups like townsfolk and peasants. Articles in this section discuss a case of identifying a thief through written documents; urban literacy in Danish and Hungarian towns; graffiti in Abruzzi churches; the cartulary of Egmond monastery; and literate culture among late medieval countryside inhabitants.
Friends, collaborators, colleagues, and former students of Marco have contributed to this volume, with all authors discussing different aspects of the use of the written word in various parts of the medieval European world. The result is a book with multiple facets, collectively contribute to a deeper understanding of medieval literacy and its societal implications.