Liber Manualis of Dhuody the Duchess of Septymania (ok. 803-843) as a guide and certificate of the contemplation of God
Małgorzata Chudzikowska-Wołoszyn
Instytut Historii i Stosunków Międzynarodowych, Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie, ul. Kurta Obitza 1, 10-725 OlsztynAbstract
Everything what modern reader know about frankish erudite from Septimania owe to Liber Manualis (Handbook) a original masterpiece left by her. She dedicated this masterpiece to her son William. This work is very unique because Dhuoda was the only woman in distance of century who gave to the history so individual testimony of her writing. She compiled this work in genre which was very popular among carolingian scholars as speculum – the mirror and at the same time this genre holds a wealthy antiquity literature tradition. The impulse for her to compiled this Handbook was a dramatic circumstance in which she had found. The brutal interior policy took her sons away. The physical separation with family for Dhuoda turned out into a source to unspoken longing and suffering. Didactic masterpiece which she decided to write had become some kind of spiritual link between loving mother and her sons. Spiritual testament created by Dhuoda it’s a result of deep consideration about Christian love. It’s a moral and religious instruction for her children. The masterpiece of frankish aristocrat had become a first so individual evidence to a meditation of God by a layman. It contain a numerous tips about earthly and spiritual issues. It’s extremely creative masterpiece which the duchess prettified with a maternal and didactic issues based on christian truth about mercy. The analysis of a tractete tell us that the only source of Dhuoda strength and hope was love to God. According to author every righteous behaviour of a man are elaborate thanks to adoration of God and that kind of rule she tried to give to descendants. Dhuoda not only contemplate the God by herself but she also prompt how to get closer to sacrum. Liber manualis gives us the fleeting possibility to look into a heart and a soul very miserable but at the same time deeply believe in God women living in the Middle Ages.
Keywords:
Dhuoda of Setymanii, Carolingian literature, the history of early medieval literature, speculum principis, moralistic literatureReferences
Bondurand E. (red.), “L’education carolingienne: Le Manuel de Dhuoda (843)”, Paris, Nimes 1887.
Bowers M.E. (red.), “The Liber Manualis of Dhuoda: Advice of a Ninth-Century Mother to her Son”, University Microfilms International, Ann Arbor 1977.
Cherewatuk K., “Speculum matris: Duoda’s Manual”, Florilegium 10 (1988-91).
Claussen M.A., “Fathers of Power and Mothers of Authority: Dhuoda and the Liber Manualis”, French Historical Studies vol. 19 (3) (1996).
D’Onofrio G., „Historia teologii. Epoka średniowiecza”, t. II, przeł. W. Szymona, Kraków 2005.
Dagron G., Riché P., Vauchez A. (red.), „Historia chrześcijaństwa. Biskupi, mnisi i cesarze 610-1054”, t. 4, tłum. A. Kuryś, Warszawa 1999.
Dhuoda, “Epigrama operis subsequentis”, tłum. J. Strzelczyk, w: J. Strzelczyk, „Pióro w wątłych dłoniach. O twórczości kobiet w dawnych wiekach. Początki (od Safony do Hroswity)”, Warszawa 2007.
Dronke P., “Women Writers of the Middle Ages. Critical Study of Texts from Perpetua to Marguerite Porete”, Cambridge 1984.
Gilson E., „Historia filozofii chrześcijańskiej w wiekach średnich”, tłum. S. Zalewski, Warszawa 1966.
Kamieńska A., „Na progu słowa. Siedem wykładów o poezji i >>Biblii<<”, Poznań 2004.
Kijewska A., „Czasy świętego Brunona z Kwerfurtu okiem historyka filozofii”, w: A. Kopiczko (red.), „Święty Brunon. Patron lokalny czy symbol jedności Europy i powszechności Kościoła”, Olsztyn 2009.
Kijewska A., „Święty Augustyn”, Seria: Myśli i Ludzie, Warszawa 2007, s. 204.
Le Goff J., „Kultura średniowiecznej Europy”, tłum. H. Szymańska-Grossowa, Warszawa 1970.
Mayeski M.A., “Dhuoda. Ninth Century Mother and Theologian”, Scranton 1995.
Olsen G.W., “One Heart and One Soul (Acts 4:32 and 34) in Dhuoda’s >>Manual<<”, Church History vol. 61 (1) (1992).
Paschasius Radbertus, „Epitaphium Arsenii, seu vita venerabilis Walae abbatis Corbeiensis in Gallia”, w: PL 120.
Pernoud R., „Kobieta w czasach katedr”, tłum. I. Badowska, Warszawa 1990.
Riché P. (red.), “Dhuoda, Manuel pour mon fils”, Paris 1975.
Riché P., „Życie codzienne w państwie Karola Wielkiego”, tłum. E. Bąkowska, Warszawa 1979.
Ryś J., „Wychowanie moralne w rodzinie arystokratycznej w czasach karolińskich w świetle Podręcznika dla syna Dhuody”, Rocznik Naukowo Dydaktyczny WSP w Krakowie, Prace z Historii Oświaty i Wychowania 201 (1999).
Thiébaux M. (red.), “Dhuoda. Handbook for her warrior son. Liber manualis”, Cambridge Medieval Classics 8, Cambridge 1998.
Thieubax M. , “Introduction”, w: M. Thiébaux (red.), “Dhuoda. Handbook for her warrior son. Liber manualis”, Cambridge Medieval Classics 8, Cambridge 1998.
Veyn P. (red.), „Historia życia prywatnego. Od Cesarstwa Rzymskiego do roku tysięcznego”, t. 1, tłum. K. Arustowicz, M. Rostworowski, Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków 2005.
Instytut Historii i Stosunków Międzynarodowych, Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski w Olsztynie, ul. Kurta Obitza 1, 10-725 Olsztyn
