Gisela, Abbess of Chelles, in Conversation with Charlemagne and Alcuin of York

Rutger Kramer, Ingrid Rembold

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Gisela usually appears in the books in relation to the men around her. She, among others, was the daughter of Pippin III, the sister of Charlemagne, the correspondent of Alcuin. But she is also a fascinating figure in her own right, who had a unique perspective on the political, intellectual, and religious changes in northwestern Europe at the time. Born a princess mere years after her father had usurped the Merovingian throne, she started out life at court as a pawn in her family’s attempts to establish a dynasty - but she would eventually grow into the influential abbess of the powerful monastery of Chelles (and later also of Notre-Dame de Soissons). At Chelles, she took responsibility for the education of her community, ran a productive scriptorium, built a new church, corresponded with the fine fleur of the Carolingian court, helped construct the history of her family, and generally became a leading figure in virtually every aspect of what would later be dubbed the ‘Carolingian Renaissance’. Placing her in the context of the wide-ranging cultural reforms spearheaded by her famous brother allows us to assess the role of women (and female communities) as cultural brokers and communicators - which in turn helps give our readers an impression of what was and was not envisaged by these reforms. Additionally, by giving her a voice in this portrait, we can attempt to highlight and reflect upon the challenges she must have faced in the process. Additionally, this will allow us to give her a voice, and let her speak for herself.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPortraits of Medieval Europe, 800-1400
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Pages27-38
Number of pages12
ISBN (Electronic)9781003847557
ISBN (Print)9781032332840
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 selection and editorial matter, Christian Raffensperger and Erin Thomas Dailey; individual chapters, the contributors.

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