Constructing the Middle Ages National Cultivation of Culture
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Constructing the Middle Ages National Cultivation of Culture Edited by Joep Leerssen Editorial Board John Breuilly, Ina Ferris, Patrick Geary, John Neubauer, Tom Shippey, Anne-Marie Thiesse VOLUME 3 CLUDEM The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/ncc. Constructing the Middle Ages Historiography, Collective Memory and Nation-Building in Luxembourg By Pit Péporté LEIDEN • BOSTON 2011 On the cover: Michel Engels, ‘Die Lützelburg auf dem Bockfelsen 963–1543’. Photo by Christof Weber, © Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg. This book has been published with the kind support of the ‘Fonds National de la Recherche Luxembourg’. This publication also appears as Vol. 34 in the Publications of Cludem, edited by Michel Pauly. This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Péporté, Pit. Constructing the Middle Ages : historiography, collective memory and nation-building in Luxembourg / by Pit Peporte. p. cm. — (National cultivation of culture ; v. 3) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-21067-7 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Luxembourg—Historiography. 2. Luxembourg—History—To 1500. 3. Collective memory—Luxembourg. 4. Nationalism—Luxembourg. 5. Siegfried, of Luxembourg, ca. 922–998. 6. Melusine (Legendary character) 7. Ermesinde, Gräfin von Luxemburg, fl. 1226–1247. 8. Jan, Lucemburský, King of Bohemia, 1296–1346. I. Title. II. Series. DH909.P47 2011 949.35’01—dc23 2011025085 ISSN 1876-5645 ISBN 978 90 04 21067 7 Copyright 2011 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. For my grandparents CONTENTS List of Illustrations and Tables ........................................................ ix Acknowledgements ............................................................................ xiii Introduction ........................................................................................ 1 1. Historiography .......................................................................... 5 2. Collective Memory and Lieux de mémoire .......................... 11 3. The Structure of this Book ..................................................... 14 I. Sigefroid: The Founding Father .................................................. 19 1. The First Count of Luxembourg ........................................... 21 2. The Forgotten: Conrad I ......................................................... 29 3. Sigefroid the Builder of the Castle ........................................ 34 4. Sigefroid the Builder of the City ........................................... 46 5. Sigefroid as a Legendary Figure ............................................ 51 6. The Origin of the Nation ........................................................ 53 7. The Millennium of Luxembourg in 1963 ............................ 60 8. Losing Importance ................................................................... 64 9. Conclusion ................................................................................ 71 II. Melusine: The Mythological Origins ........................................ 75 1. A Medieval Myth and its Purpose ........................................ 76 2. The Emergence of the Legend in the Local Context ......... 86 3. Facets of a National Myth ...................................................... 94 4. Conclusion ................................................................................ 107 III. Ermesinde: The Connecting Link ............................................ 109 1 The Liberal Leader .................................................................... 111 2. The Pious Princess ................................................................... 115 3. Towards a National Trinity .................................................... 122 4. A Shared Memory .................................................................... 133 5. The Forgotten: Limburg .......................................................... 143 6. Conclusion ................................................................................ 158 viii contents IV. John of Bohemia: Constructing a National Hero ................ 161 1. The Birth of the Hero .............................................................. 163 2. The Rise of a Local Hero ........................................................ 183 3. The Creation of a National Hero .......................................... 189 4. The Three-Fold Basis of the National Myth ........................ 203 V. John of Bohemia: The Vicissitudes of a National Hero ....... 221 1. Mort pour la France ................................................................. 221 2. The Dynasty’s Favourite .......................................................... 233 3. The Last Days of the Nationalist Icon? ................................ 244 4. Alternative Memories .............................................................. 253 5. The European Champion ....................................................... 259 6. The Forgotten: Sigismund ...................................................... 264 7. Conclusion ................................................................................ 270 Conclusions ........................................................................................ 271 Appendix ............................................................................................. 295 Bibliography ........................................................................................ 299 Index .................................................................................................... 327 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES Illustrations 1. The Hollow Tooth, Montée de Clausen, Luxembourg. Photo by Pit Péporté ...................................................................... 36 2. Ernest Werling, ‘Luxembourg au XIe siècle. Reconstruction’. Published in Jean-Pierre Biermann, Abrégé Historique de la Ville & Forteresse de Luxembourg (Luxembourg: Jos. Beffort, 1890) ........................................................................... 40 3. Charles Arendt, ‘Schlossburg Lützenburg’. Published in Charles Arendt, Hypothetischer Plan der ehemaligen Schlossburg Lützelburg auf dem Bockfelsen zu Luxemburg (Luxembourg: V. Buck, 1895) ...................................................... 41 4. Michel Engels, ‘Die Lützelburg auf dem Bockfelsen 963–1543’. Photo by Christof Weber © Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg ............................................................ 43 5. Pierre Blanc, ‘Construction du château de Luxembourg au Bock par Sigefroid en 963’. © Musée National d’Histoire et d’Art, Luxembourg ......................................................................... 45 6. Reconstruction of the castle of Luxembourg at the end of the tenth-century by John Zimmer. Published in John Zimmer, ed., Die Burgen des Luxemburger Landes. 2 vols. (Luxembourg: SSMN, 1996). © John Zimmer ........................... 66 7. Wooden scale model of the castle of Luxembourg and the surrounding settlements around the year 1000 AD, Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg. Photo by Christof Weber © Musée d’Histoire de la Ville de Luxembourg .......... 67 8. Pierre de Luxembourg, count of St. Pol. Grand armorial équestre de la Toison d’or, Bibliothèque nationale de France, manuscript 4790, fol. 152r. © Bibliothèque Nationale de France ............................................................................................... 85 9. ‘Melusine Chef des Lusignans, Luxembourgs et autres’. Estienne de Chypre de Lusignan, Les Genealogies de soixante et sept tresnobles et tres-illustres maisons, partie de France, parti estrágeres, yssuës de Meroüée, fils de Theodoric 2. Roy d’Austrasie, Bourgongne, &c. Auec le blason & declaration des armoyries que chacune maison porte (Paris: Guillaume Le Noir, 1586), cover sheet ........................................................... 88 x list of illustrations and tables 10. Auguste Tremont, ‘Mélusine se baignant au pied la citadelle’. Published in Luxembourg Illustré 22 (1929): 337. Photo by Marcel Strainchamps ....................................... 96 11. ‘La Belle Melusine’, Postal Stamp, Luxembourg, 1997. © Office des Timbres, Luxembourg ........................................ 97 12. Bas-relief on the Cercle Municipal, Place d’Armes, Luxembourg (detail). Photo by Pit Péporté .......................... 114 13. Stain glass window in the chapel of Clairefontaine. Photo by Pit Péporté ................................................................. 120 14. ‘Ermesinde’ hands the charter to Grand Duchess Charlotte in Echternach. AZ. Luxemburger illustrierte Wochenschrift 32 (1936): 16 ............................................................................... 130 15. Charles Arendt, ‘Sarcophagus of Ermesinde’, Clairefontaine, Belgium. Photo by Pit Péporté ..................... 144 16. Stain glass window,