Through Words, Not Wounds
History and Theology in the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia
By (author) Carsten Selch Jensen
The chronicle of Henry of Livonia has long been recognized as the single most important source on the early history of Livonia and Estonia in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. The chronicler describes in great detail how the people of the region were subjected to intense campaigns of crusading and mission from the 1180s until the 1220s, primarily at the hands of ecclesiastical and secular powers of Northern Germany (Saxony), Denmark and Sweden. The chronicler himself, a German cleric named Henry (Henricus), was not only active in recording the events that happened around him. He also took a very active role as a missionary and interpreter among the indigenous population as well as joining the armies of crusaders on campaign, making this chronicle both a first-hand account and a very intriguing narrative. Papal missionary politics and theological ideas are intermingled in the chronicle with detailed descriptions of military campaigns, raids and sieges, making the entire chronicle a fascinating read. The aim of this book is to clarify the ways in which Henry construes the historical events that he describes, portraying them as the continuation of a form of sacred history that was initiated by God in biblical times and continued by clerics and crusaders among Henry’s own peers.
The chronicle of Henry of Livonia has long been recognized as the single most important source on the early history of Livonia and Estonia in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. The chronicler describes in great detail how the people of the region were subjected to intense campaigns of crusading and mission from the 1180s until the 1220s, primarily at the hands of ecclesiastical and secular powers of Northern Germany (Saxony), Denmark and Sweden. The chronicler himself, a German cleric named Henry (Henricus), was not only active in recording the events that happened around him. He also took a very active role as a missionary and interpreter among the indigenous population as well as joining the armies of crusaders on campaign, making this chronicle both a first-hand account and a very intriguing narrative. Papal missionary politics and theological ideas are intermingled in the chronicle with detailed descriptions of military campaigns, raids and sieges, making the entire chronicle a fascinating read. The aim of this book is to clarify the ways in which Henry construes the historical events that he describes, portraying them as the continuation of a form of sacred history that was initiated by God in biblical times and continued by clerics and crusaders among Henry’s own peers.
- By (author) Carsten Selch Jensen
Other Titles in this Series
The Fourth Lateran Council and the Crusade Movement
The Impact of the Council of 1215 on Latin Christendom and the East
Volume 7
The Defence of the Faith
Crusading on the Frontiers of Latin Christendom in the Late Middle Ages
Volume 15
Crusading on the Edge
Ideas and Practice of Crusading in Iberia and the Baltic Region, 1100-1500
Volume 4
From Carrickfergus to Carcassonne
The Epic Deeds of Hugh de Lacy during the Albigensian Crusade
Volume 5
The Crusade of King Conrad III of Germany
Warfare and Diplomacy in Byzantium, Anatolia and Outremer, 1146-1149
Volume 13
Legacies of the Crusades
Proceedings of the Ninth Conference of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East, Odense, 27 June - 1 July 2016. Volume 1
Volume 11
The Crusades
History and Memory: Proceedings of the Ninth Conference of the Society for the Study of the Crusades and the Latin East, Odense, 27 June - 1 July 2016. Volume 2
Volume 12
The Expansion of the Faith
Crusading on the Frontiers of Latin Christendom in the High Middle Ages
Volume 14
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