Henry II, liturgical patronage and the birth of the ‘Romano‐German Pontifical’

Parkes, Henry

Abstract

Variously acclaimed as coepiscopus, saint and Mönchskönig, Henry II of Germany has always had a reputation as a quasi‐religious figure. This article goes a step further, appending to his résumé the creation of the wildly successful liturgical tradition known as the ‘Romano‐German Pontifical’. Formerly dated to the tenth century, its major ordines are here argued to have been cultivated in royal circles in the years 1002–9, before being compiled for the first time as a gift for the new Bamberg Cathedral. The tradition is shown to reflect the king’s concerns, scholarly, political and confessional, as well as projecting an idealistic, Bamberg‐esque notion of Romano‐German unity.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 16, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jan 15, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Deposit Date: Jan 28, 2020
• Journal: Early Medieval Europe
• Print ISSN: 0963-9462
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-0254
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 104-141
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/emed.12389
• Keywords: Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous); History; Liturgy; Medieval Studies
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3823384
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/emed.12389