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Concepts of Loyalty in the Earliest Central European Chronicles

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Concepts of Loyalty in the Earliest Central European Chronicles M Michał Machalski CONCEPTS OF LOYALTY IN THE EARLIEST CENTRAL EUROPEAN CHRONICLES MA Thesis in Comparative History, with a specialization in Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies. Central European University Budapest June 2020 CEU eTD Collection CONCEPTS OF LOYALTY IN THE EARLIEST CENTRAL EUROPEAN CHRONICLES by Michał Machalski (Poland) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Comparative History, with a specialization in Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ Chair, Examination Committee ____________________________________________ Thesis Supervisor ____________________________________________ Examiner ____________________________________________ Examiner CEU eTD Collection Budapest Month YYYY CONCEPTS OF LOYALTY IN THE EARLIEST CENTRAL EUROPEAN CHRONICLES by Michał Machalski (Poland) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Comparative History, with a specialization in Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ External Reader CEU eTD Collection Budapest June 2020 CONCEPTS OF LOYALTY IN THE EARLIEST CENTRAL EUROPEAN CHRONICLES by Michał Machalski (Poland) Thesis submitted to the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Budapest, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Arts degree in Comparative History, with a specialization in Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies. Accepted in conformance with the standards of the CEU. ____________________________________________ External Supervisor CEU eTD Collection Budapest Month YYYY I, the undersigned, Michał Machalski, candidate for the MA degree in Comparative History, with a specialization in Late Antique, Medieval, and Renaissance Studies declare herewith that the present thesis is exclusively my own work, based on my research and only such external information as properly credited in notes and bibliography. I declare that no unidentified and illegitimate use was made of the work of others, and no part of the thesis infringes on any person’s or institution’s copyright. I also declare that no part of the thesis has been submitted in this form to any other institution of higher education for an academic degree. Budapest, 4 June 2020 _____________________ _____ Signature CEU eTD Collection Abstract The thesis focuses on the concepts of loyalty presented in the earliest Central European chronicles, written at the beginning of the twelfth century: Gesta principum Polonorum by Gallus Anonymous, Chronica Boemorum by Cosmas of Prague, and the Hungarian Primeval Chronicle which survived as a part of the fourteenth-century century compilation called The Illuminated Chronicle. The analysis of those works, closely connected to the ruling elites of recently Christianized Central European polities, attempts to address the question of how their authors understood and used the concept of loyalty, one of the fundamental ideas underlying medieval society. The thesis offers a comparative analysis of the way in which authors of the earliest Central European chronicles characterized the content of loyalty as a norm present at the center of multiple societal bonds. As such it finds its methodological underpinnings in the Spielregeln, unwritten but widely known rules governing society, a concept developed by Gerd Althoff. The analysis is divided into parts corresponding to the different social bonds in which loyalty played an important role and which are depicted in the earliest Central European chronicles: the relationship between God and the faithful, kinsmen, and allies, and between the ruler and his subjects. The analysis shows common ideological underpinnings of the concepts of loyalty used in Central European narrative sources. Despite differences in the overall structures and messages of the three works, they present a vision of loyalty as primarily a reciprocal bond, even in the asymmetrical relationships between believers and the divine or subjects and rulers. This highlights the ideological message of consensual lordship, which coexists in those narratives next to the strong ideas about divine origins of dynastic authority. This presents important common traits in the political and cultural development of Central Europe as a historical region. CEU eTD Collection i Acknowledgements While writing my thesis I had an extraordinary privilege to rely on help, counsel, and kind words of many wonderful people, all of whom I would like to assure of my sincere gratitude. This thesis would not be possible without my supervisors, Balázs Nagy and Katalin Szende. I owe them the greatest debt not only for academic guidance but also for their kindness, care, and support during the hard and uncertain times we faced this year. I want to thank professor László Veszprémy for his quick response to my questions concerning the complicated history of the Illuminated Chronicle. My thanks go also to József Laszlovszky for allowing me to read a manuscript of yet unpublished translation of his article. I am grateful for all of my friends and colleagues who patiently answered my questions about translations and read parts of the thesis. Finally, I want to express all the love for my ever-supporting family. Thank you. CEU eTD Collection ii Table of contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 1. Studying medieval loyalty – definitions and historiography ............................................. 3 2 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 10 3 Sources .............................................................................................................................. 11 4 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 16 5 Structure ............................................................................................................................ 17 Chapter 1: Faithful to God and his Servants ............................................................................ 19 Chapter 2: “In his presence your knees will tremble” – Obedience and Origins of Dynastic Power ....................................................................................................................................... 30 2.1 Chronica Boemorum ...................................................................................................... 33 2.2 Gesta principum Polonorum .......................................................................................... 37 2.3 Primeval Chronicle ........................................................................................................ 40 2.4 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 42 Chapter 3: Troublesome brothers and reliable kin – loyalty within the family ....................... 43 3.1 The Ideal of Family Relations .................................................................................. 44 3.2 Dynastic conflicts ........................................................................................................... 47 3.2.1 Gesta prinicpum Polonorum ................................................................................... 49 3.2.2 Chronica Boemorum ............................................................................................... 66 3.2.3 Primeval Chronicle ................................................................................................. 78 3.3 The worthless sons of evil fathers – family lineage in the discourse of loyalty ........... 90 CEU eTD Collection 3.4 Conclusions .................................................................................................................... 95 Chapter 4: Friends, allies and other rulers – loyalty between equals ....................................... 98 4.1 Establishing trust between rulers ................................................................................... 99 4.2 Betraying loyalty .......................................................................................................... 104 iii Chapter 5: Loyalty between rulers and subjects .................................................................... 113 5.1 Consensual lordship ..................................................................................................... 113 5.2 Unfaithful rulers and their servants .............................................................................. 119 5.2.1 Bad rulers .............................................................................................................. 119 5.2.2 Bad servants .......................................................................................................... 125 5.3 Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 135 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................
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