Jordan of Giano’s Evangelical Vision: The Battle over the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century Jon D. Powell A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History Chapel Hill 2016 Approved by: Marcus Bull Flora Cassen Terence McIntosh Jehangir Malegam Evyatar Marienberg © 2016 Jon D. Powell ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Jon D. Powell: Jordan of Giano’s Evangelical Vision: The Battle over the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century (Under the direction of Marcus Bull) My dissertation, “Jordan of Giano’s Evangelical Vision: The Battle over the Franciscan Order in the Thirteenth Century,” explores the relationship between memory and narrative as found in Jordan of Giano’s (c.
While the primary theme that this dissertation explores is the nature of Franciscan mission, that topic is considered in connection with the subjects of martyrdom, clericalization, education, simplicity, hierarchy, language, and the role of the cardinal protector. More to the point, this dissertation investigates the manner in which Jordan drew on Franciscan collective memory and his own personal memories of events pertaining to mission in order to discuss these themes as points of contention with respect to expressions of Franciscan identity. It is Jordan’s process of creating a new or a reinterpreted narrative that provides us with the most apparent insights into how friars as individuals and as groups remembered events and how they shaped those memories for the purpose of creating a group identity for the Friars Minor. My dissertation aims to revise the extant historiography in two main areas: First, in contrast to the prevailing methodological approach to the text—which views Jordan’s Chronica as a source of fairly factual information that can be employed to answer the Franciscan Question, or the attempt to compile a biography of the historical Francis of Assisi (1181/1182–1226) and to ascertain his ideal intentions for the Order —this study emphasizes how Jordan relied primarily on personal and collective memory to compose the Chronica and iii how this reliance affected the resulting narrative.
Second, instead of viewing the Chronica as merely recounting the primary events that occurred in relation to the Franciscan mission to Germany in 1221, this dissertation suggests that Jordan uses his narrative to express a clerical identity for the order, one that runs counter to an identity of simplicity that was expressed in Franciscan legenda composed in Italy during the early to mid thirteenth century. This dissertation argues that, in addition, we should read the sources in terms of the authors’ evolving understanding of the Order, how narrative construction affects the expression of that understanding, and to the extent to which this construction differs depending on the memories availably to the author as well as the author’s intent in constructing a particular narrative. iv To Jeong, Pauline, and André for their support, while I devoted substantial time to this endeavor. To Marcus Bull for his unflagging confidence in me and for his continued moral support during the research and writing processes.
v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this part of my dissertation has been a particular pleasure. It has reminded me of the many people who made the road to the Ph. Several institutions were very generous in their support of project: Biblioteka Kórnicka, Biblioteka Jagiellońska, the Medieval and Early Modern Studies, and the History Department at the University of North Carolina. Much appreciation must be directed toward the administrators and staff at institutions in Poland for their help with my research.
Tomasz Jasiński, Mrs. Magdalena Marcinkowska, and Małgorzata Potocka, and Gregor Kubacki at the Biblioteka Kórnicka and Monika Jaglarz at the Biblioteka Jagiellońska of the Jagiellonian University were incredibly generous with their time and assistance in locating the manuscripts that I wanted to review and in furnishing me with space in which to work. Without the Medieval and Early Modern Studies, and the History Department at the University of North Carolina, this dissertation would have been much more difficult to write, since they have supported my years as a graduate student as well as funding the time needed to write this study as well as the travel for research. The staff at UNC’s Davis Library, including the personnel in Interlibrary Loan, have been delightful and helpful.
They have more than proved themselves to be able and friendly in their work and in providing a comfortable working environment. Quite a number of the faculty members at the History Departments at the University of North Carolina and Duke University have been sympathetic, understanding, and encouraging over the years. Fitzhugh Brundage, Lloyd Kramer, Tania String, Miles Fletcher, Kathleen vi Duval, Jerma Jackson, Susan Pennybacker, Don Reid, William Sturkey, Karen Auerbach, John Sweet, Harry Watson, and Molly Worthen always had a kind or helpful word for me. Caroline Bruzelius and Rachel Deagman at Duke deserve special thanks for discussing many aspects of the Franciscans and their critics with me.
I also learned much in the form of pedagogy as well as content as a teaching or grading assistant for Marcus Bull, Flora Cassen, Adam Domby, Brendan Hunziker, Patrick Kent, Katie Otis, Sarah Shields, Jay Smith, Patricia Sullivan, and Brett Whalen. I also thank Brett Whalen for guiding me through the early process, for directing me to the Franciscans, and for furnishing me with his insightful comments. The directors of graduate studies, Melissa Bullard, Cynthia Radding, and Chad Bryant, were always most gracious in helping me to coordinate my occasional scheduling difficulties or in working through obstacles. John Sweet deserves much thanks for his tireless work in helping me with the job search process and for providing the title for this dissertation.
The staff in the History Department at the University of North Carolina—Joy Jones and Violet Anderson, the graduate coordinators; Diana Devereaux, the undergraduate coordinator; Joyce Loftin, the accounting technician; Adam Kent, the university administrative manager; Genevieve Cecil, the office assistant; and Renee McIntire, the department’s web site content manager—were exceptionally helpful in reminding me about and helping me with various forms, paperwork, and administrative tasks as well as in answering whatever questions I had. My dissertation committee, consisting of Marcus Bull, Flora Cassen, Jehangir Malegam, Terence McIntosh, and Evyatar Marienberg, listened patiently to my semi-developed ideas, provided much-needed emotional support, gave the dissertation a careful reading, and wrote countless letters of recommendation. For all that, I am extremely grateful. vii Marcus Bull has been the ideal advisor in every respect.
He provided the perfect balance between ensuring that I was productive and providing me the latitude to follow my own intuition. He made certain that the researching and writing process was enjoyable and was always ready to deliver valuable advice. His guidance on memory and narrative was particularly helpful. While it is a trope to say that a work is improved by the advisor’s intervention and that any errors and imperfections belong to the author, these details are in fact the case with this dissertation.
At the University of North Carolina, I benefited enormously from the help and friendship of former and current graduate students Mike Smith, Shawn Gumbleton, Adam Domby, Jennifer Kosmin, Ryan Peeks, Ann Halbert-Brooks, Josh Hevert, Allie Locking, Beth Hasseler, Peter Raleigh, Daniel Morgan, Julie Ault, Jeffrey Ryan Harris, Bret Devereaux, Ross Twele, Marina Jones, Tommy Shephard, Sarah Bond, Derek Holmgren, Brittany Lehman, Anndal Narayanan, Alex Ruble, and Joshua Tait. Will Griffin, Rob Shapard, and Katie Otis deserve special thanks for pointing me to and discussing the application of memory theory in oral history. Besides being a great friend during the early phases of graduate school, Mike Bazemore has also been a wonderful professional colleague. A support network of friends has been crucial.
Much appreciation is given to Conrad and Bettina Kaiser in Germany; Pauline Gourmeron, André Béhague, and Christophe and Anne Menier in France, ByoungYeop Choi in South Korea, Eros Munoz-Jimenez in Mexico, and Azia and Aisha Jabar Al-bitar in Jordan for making this process easier. I thank Mel Harmon, Paul Haggard, Leonard Bishop, Kelly Coblenz, Tony Kyle, Dave Talley, Belinda Christ, Frans Aberillo, Shane Elliott, Dan and Kristen Faulkner, Melissa Alexander, Bronwen Llewellyn, and Brian Brooks for their moral support. viii These years would have been much more difficult without my wonderful family. Bob and Frances Powell and SungJae Cho provided much help by helping to take care of Pauline and André while I worked.
However, I cannot thank enough Jeong, Pauline, and André. They provided the basis for so much that it is difficult to express my gratitude appropriately. All I can say is that I know how fortunate I am to have them. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.1 The Chronica, Memory, and Themes .7 Historiography of the Chronica and the Approach for this Study.12 Primary Sources Associated with the Chronica .19 Organization of this Study .23 A Brief Methodological Overview .27 CHAPTER 1: JORDAN, THE CHRONICA, AND GENRE: CHRONICLES, MEMOIRS, AND ORAL HISTORY .31 Jordan of Giano: Career Politician and Accidental Chronicler .32 Difficulty in Categorizing the Chronica .40 Is the Chronica a Chronicle or an Annal? .44 Is the Chronica a Memoir or an Autobiography? .52 Is the Chronica an Oral History? .59 x CHAPTER 2: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY: MEMORY, NARRATIVE, AND IDENTITY .63 How the Brain Stores and Recalls Individual Memory.64 Autobiographic Memory and Narrative Construction.71 How Groups and Organizations Store and Recall Social Memory .75 Narrative and Narrative Construction .88 The Reliability of Memory and Narrative .108 CHAPTER 3: MEMORY AND MISSION IN JORDAN’S CHRONICA .110 Personal Memory in the Chronica.112 Collective Memory and Eyewitnesses in the Chronica.125 Textual Sources in the Chronica.134 The 1219 Missions to France, Germany, and Hungary .150 CHAPTER 4: EARLY THIRTEENTH-CENTURY FRANCISCAN MARTYRDOM: TEMPORAL OR SPIRITUAL INTERPRETATIONS.154 The Fourteenth-century Passiones and Thirteenth-century Franciscan Martyrdom .156 The Spiritual Geography of Franciscan Martyrdom.167 Persecution as Part of Mission in the Chronica.185 xi CHAPTER 5: EARLY-THIRTEENTH CENTURY FRANCISCAN MISSION: CONFRONTATIONAL OR CONFESSIONAL INTERPRETATIONS .188 Francis’ Depiction of the Friars’ Demeanor when They Went on Mission.191 The Friars’ Sermons and Conduct while on Mission in the Early Thirteenth Century .201 Francis as an Example of Franciscan Conduct on Mission .221 CHAPTER 6: FRANCISCAN CLERICALIZATION AND EDUCATION: INTERCONNECTIONS WITH SIMPLICITY.224 Illiterate Versus Literate Friars within a Clericalized Franciscan Order .228 Simplicity Versus Education within a Clericalized Franciscan Order.267 CHAPTER 7: FRANCISCAN CLERICALIZATION AND EDUCATION: INTERCONNECTIONS WITH MISSION.269 Provincial Emphasis on Clericalization and Education .271 Education in the English and German Provinces.276 The Efficacy of Clerical versus Lay Friars in regard to the Order’s Expansion.295 CHAPTER 8: MISSIONS AS JUSTIFICATION FOR APPOINTING A CARDINAL PROTECTOR.297 Maintenance of Franciscan Orthodoxy as Justification for the Cardinal Protector in Francis’ Writings.300 Protection from Enemies as Justification for the Cardinal Protector in Thomas of Celano’s Life of Saint Francis and in the “We who were with him” Texts .304 xii The Failure of the 1219 Missions as Against the Italian Lay Friars’ Disobedience as Justifications for the Cardinal Protector .333 CHAPTER 9: FRANCISCAN CLERICALIZATION AND EDUCATION: INTERCONNECTIONS WITH LANGUAGE.335 Multilingualism in the 1219 and 1221 Missions .374 xiii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Journals and Series AF Analecta Franciscana, 12 vols.
AFH Archivum Franciscanum Historicum. BF Bullarium Franciscanum, Romanorum pontificum, constitutions, epistolas ac diplomata continens tribus ordinis S. Francisci spectantia, vol. FA:ED 1 Francis of Assisi: Early Documents: The Saint, volume 1, ed.
Wayne Hellmann, William J. FA:ED 2 Francis of Assisi: Early Documents: The Founder, volume 2, ed. Wayne Hellmann, William J. FS Franciscan Studies.
MF Miscellanea Francescana. MGH SS Monumenta Germaniae historica Scriptores in Folio. Major Medieval Franciscan Texts 1 Celano Thomas of Celano, “Vita Prima S. Francisci,” in AF 10 (1927), 1–117.
2 Celano Thomas of Celano, “Vita Secunda S. Francisci,” in AF 10 (1927), 127–268. Chronica majora Matthew of Paris, Chronica majora, vol. 6, Rerum Britannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores or Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages (London, Longman & co.
Compilatio Assisiensis “The Assisi Compilation,” edition: Compilatio Assisiensis dagli scritti di fr. Leone e compagni su s.