Glossary

A

##### Aachen

Located at the western edge of the Rhineland, Aachen is an ancient city build around thermal baths. It houses the remains of Charlemagne as well as many other relics.

##### Aeneid

A poetic epic telling the legend of Aeneas, a heroic Trojan who struggles to reconcile his personal desires with his destiny to found Rome. It was written in the 1st century BC by the Roman poet Virgil.

##### Agricola

A first century Roman general, Agricola's Command and conquest into Britain was famously written about by Roman historian Tacitus.

##### Albertus Magnus

Renowned 13th century Dominical theologian, philosopher, astrologer, and bishop of Regensburg. A prolific writer, he was known primarily for his work on Aristotle and his knowledge of natural science.

##### Andromache

Wife of the Trojan prince Hector in various accounts of the Trojan war. After Hector's death at the hands of Achilles, Andromache entered a long period of formal mourning.

##### apostolic poverty

Christian doctrine that calls for followers to live without owning personal property or accumulating money. While it was condemned by the Catholic Church as heretical, its defenders claim their practices are based on the lives of Christ and the apostles as described in scripture.

##### Aristotle

Greek philosopher and student of Plato. Renowned as a polymath, he wrote on a wide of variety of subjects. His work is extensively cites by current scholars... and even more work is attributed to him than he could have ever written.

##### Augustine

Saint Augustine of Hippo was an early Christian philosopher, theologian, and bishop of Hippo Regius. He is recognized as a doctor of the church and is most known for his works *The City of God* and his autobiographic *Confessions* as well as his development of the doctrine of original sin.

B

##### Bavaria

Powerful duchy in the southeastern Holy Roman Empire. It is east of Swabia and north of Tyrol. Tassing and Kiersau sit in the extreme south of the duchy, near the border with Tyrol.

##### Benedictine

Founded in the 6th century, the Benedictines are a Christian monastic order that observes vows of obedience, poverty, chastity, and stability under the Rule of Saint Benedict of Nursia.

##### Benivieni

Antonio Benivieni conducted autopsies to determine causes of disease in the body and is considered the father of pathology.

##### bergfried

A free standing defensive tower, not built for permanent habitation.

##### blood justice

Capital justice, also known as high justice or neck justice. The power to pass this judgement is typically reserved to the emperor and his vassals.

##### Bologna

One of the largest cities in Italy, Bologna has been a center of the arts for centuries. It houses a well-known university which was home to both Dante and Petrarch.

##### book of hours

A type of illuminated manuscript that contains an abbreviated form of the prayers for the Divine Office in addition to other religious texts. Most are relatively plain, but wealthy patrons often commission lavish examples with elaborate illustrations.

##### Burgundy

Powerful former duchy of eastern France that became a province in 1477. Known for its wine, art, monasteries and courtly fashion.

C

##### calefactory

A communal warming room in monasteries. Calefactories are ususally attached to the cloister, but in Kiersau it is part of the old abbey, and therefore connected to the old scriptorium. It keeps the monks warm and the library dry.

##### cantor

Appointed official in a monastery, responsible for leading the chants and songs of the community.

##### cellarer

Appointed official in a monastery, responsible for maintaining food supplies and for maintaining the grounds.

##### Christine de Pizan

One of the most renowned female authors of western Europe, Christine was a court writer for three dukes. She is well-known for The Book of the City of Ladies and The Treasure of the City of Ladies, works that defended women and offered advice to women of all backgrounds.

##### ciborium

A cup or other vessel for the Holy Host to sit within before and after the Eucharist. Typically made of precious metals.

##### Cicero

Statesman, scholar, lawyer, and renowned orator of the late Roman Republic. He is revered both for his contributions to Latin literature and his skill at rhetoric.

##### circator

Monk responsible for making rounds in the abbey to make certain everyone is where they are supposed to be, doing what they are supposed to do.

##### Cologne

Large, powerful free imperial city on the river Rhine. It is a major hub for commerce between Italy and the Netherlands. It is also a popular site for pilgrims, as its cathedral contains relics of the Three Wise Men, represented as crowns on their arms.

##### Compline

Monastic hour corresponding to 8 P.M. One of the little hours of prayer, the monks and nuns retire to their dormitories shortly afterward.

##### Consitutiu Criminalis Bambergensis

The first unified body of German law, established in 1530. The document established a system of justice for the Holy Roman Empire, including severe crimes such as murder, robbery, arson, homosexuality, and witchcraft.

##### corpus delicti

"Body of the crime". Sometimes literal, often figurative. The principle that must be proven to establish that a crime has occurred.

##### Corpus Hermeticum

A compilation of seventeen religious and philosophical treatises encompassing the soteriology of Hermes Trismegistus or "Thrice-Great Hermes". The centuries-old texts reflect Egyptian, Greek, and Jewish traditions and ideas and were translated into Latin in the late 15th century by Marcilio Ficino and Lodovico Lazzarelli.

##### Council of Constance

Meeting of bishops that took place between 1414 and 1418  in the Diocese of Constance to end the Papal Schism. It was also notable for the condemnation and capture of the Bohemian theologian Jan Hus.

##### Cronica Clara

The *Clear Chronicle* a history of the universe from creation to 1082. Written by the Irish monk Marianus Scotus.

D

##### Dance of death

An artistic allegory on the constancy of death. Illustrations often feature people from every station of society to communicate that death inevitably claims everyone, from the peasant to the emperor.

##### Daphnis

Sicilian shepherd who, according to Greek legend, was the inventor of pastoral poetry. In stories, he was the son of Hermes and a nymph and was a follower of the goddess Artemis. He died young, a victim of a jealous naiad.

##### De materia medica

A pharmacopeia, or a book for creating compound medicines, written by Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek physician and botanist who was employed in the Roman army. The five-volume text has been a primary source of botanical information for centuries.

##### Diana

The virgin Roman goddess of the hunt and the wilderness. Diana is also associated with fertility, the moon, and the underworld.

##### diet

An imperial diet is an assembly of the three colleges of the Imperial Estates of the Holy Roman Empire: the prince-electors; the princes and dukes;and representatives of the imperial cities. They meet to deliberate on matters of importance to the empire.

##### Dioscorides

A 1st century botanist and physician, Dioscorides' empirical treatments by physicians well into the 16th century.

##### Divine Office

The prayer times observed by all Christian monastic orders. Monks and nuns pray together seven times a day and once at night, as dictated by the Rule of Saint Benedict.

##### divine reading

Lectio Divina is the thoughtful reading and meditation on scripture. The practice leads to prayer and contemplation. It is a daily part of life in Benedictine communities.

##### Duke of Bavaria

The title is held jointly by two brothers, Louis X and William IV. Both are working to suppress the peasant revolts.

##### Dürer

Albrecht Dürer is a renowned painter and printmaker from Nuremberg. He is revered in Venice as well as across the Holy Roman Empire. Since 1512, he has enjoyed the patronage of Emperor Maximilan I.