2015.02.04: Francesco Renzi, Knights & monks in medieval Galicia

Speaker: Dr Francesco Renzi (University of Leiden) 

Title: The close relationships between knights and monks in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Galicia

Date, time, location: Wednesday 4th February  2015, 17.30, MB3201

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to investigate the close relationships between the Benedictine monks of San Justo and Pastor de Toxos Outos and the local military aristocracy of the archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela between the twelfth and the thirteenth centuries. A comparative study of other monastic experiences in Galicia will also demonstrate the existence of a strong competition between monastic Orders in this area, and how the Benedictines monks of Toxosoutos were able to cope with the loss of royal and high aristocratic support by shifting their attention to the knightly class. This study also emphasizes the relevance of monastic sources to study the lower aristocratic groups, their composition, ambitions and development in the north western part of the Iberian Peninsula in the Central Middle Ages.

PowerPoint slides are downloadable here: Renzi – Lincoln