Monastic Experience in Twelfth-Century Germany: The Chronicle of Petershausen in Translation

The twelfth-century Chronicle of Petershausen, composed over the course of more than thirty years, provides a rare window on the life-world of a medieval monastery struggling to grow and survive in a tumultuous spiritual and temporal landscape.

From its founding by St. Gebhard II of Constance as a proprietary episcopal monastery in 992 through the aftermath of the great fire that ravaged the community in 1159 and beyond, Petershausen encountered both external attacks and internal disruption and division. Across the pages of the chronicle, supra-regional clashes between emperors and popes play out at the most local level. Monks struggle against the influence of overreaching bishops. Reformers arrive and introduce new and unfamiliar customs. Tensions erupt into violence. Through it all, the chronicler struggles to find meaning amid chaos while forging connections to a distant past through miracles, visions, and relics that link the living and the dead. This anonymous monk enlivens his narrative with countless colorful anecdotes - sometimes amusing, sometimes disturbing - creating a history with its own unique voice.

Intended for specialists and students alike, this volume presents the first translation into English of this fascinating text, which offers a unique glimpse into the lived experience of medieval monasticism and its interactions with the society around it.