Forty Second Annual

2003

University of Notre Dame

Officers

President: Louis Haas, Middle Tennessee State University
Vice-president: Linda Mitchell, Alfred University
Secretary: Mark Angelos, Manchester College
Treasurer: Martin Arbagi, Wright State University
Councilors: Gregory G. Guzman, Bradley University; Annette Parks, University of Evansville.
Program Director: Laura Wertheimer, Cleveland State University
Local Arrangements: Olivia R. Constable and Thomas F. X. Noble, University of Notre Dame

Program

All sessions will be held in the Auditorium of McKenna Hall

Friday, October 10
Noon-6:00   Registration
Registration Area - McKenna Hall
 
1:00-2:15 New Approaches to British History
Chair: Laura Wertheimer, Cleveland State University
 
Christopher Hill, University of Texas at Austin, 
  “The Enemies of St. Thomas: A Sharper Perspective on 12th Century Legal Reform”
David W. Fortin, Catholic University of America,
  “The New British History: A Revision” 

2:30-3:45  Church Institutions and Church Reform
Chair: Michael Lower, University of Minnesota
 
Linda Beckum, University of Kentucky, 
  “Innocent III and the Fourth Lateran Council: Church Reform, Exclusivity, and the Jews”
Yossi Maurey, University of Chicago,
  “Two Centuries of Liturgical Reform in Saint Martin of Tours, 1204-1395”

4:00-5:30: Piety and Sanctity 
Chair: Michael Bailey, St. Louis University
 
Vincent Ryan, Saint Louis University,
  “The First Crusade, Marian Piety, and the Expansion of the Cult of the Virgin in the Medieval West"
Jennifer C. Edwards, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign,
  “Re-Placing Saint Radegund: Battles over Gender Identity, Power, and Space in High Medieval Poitiers”
David Mengel, Assistant Professor, Xavier University,
  “A Holy and Faithful Fellowship: Royal Saints in Fourteenth-Century Bohemia”

8:00-10:00 - Opening Reception
 (at the home of Thomas Noble)
 
Saturday, October 11
8:00-11:00   Registration, McKenna Hall
 
8:45   Welcome to the University of Notre Dame
 
9:00-10:30  The Iberian World
Chair: Tom Burman, University of Tennessee
 
Jennifer Speed, Fordham University,
  “The Legal Aspects of an Iberian Crusade”
Isabel O’Connor, Indiana University South Bend,
  “The Mudejars and the Courts: A Different Light on the Interaction of Muslims, Christians and Jews in Late Medieval Spain”  
Bernard Reilly, Villanova University,
  “The Historian’s Craft in 13th Century Iberia:  The Chronica Latina Regum Castellae”

10:45-12:00 Plenary Address
Chair: Olivia Remie Constable
 
Robert I. Burns, University of California, Los Angeles                               
  "A Medieval Encyclopedia: The Great Partidas of King Alfonso the Learned” 

12:15-2:15  Lunch and Business Meeting
Center Dining Area, McKenna Hall
 
2:30-4:00 Land, Law, and Identity
Chair: Lorraine Attreed, College of the Holy Cross
 
Donald F. Fleming, Hiram College, 
  “Knighthood and Law in England, 1066 – ca. 1200”
John B. Freed, Illinois State University, 
  “The Creation of the Codex Falkensteinensis (1166): Self-Representation and Reality”
Rick Keyser, Western Kentucky University,
“Boundary Determination in High Medieval Champagne (1150-1300)”

4:15-5:30   The East and the West
Chair: Amy Livingstone, Wittenberg University
 
Michael Frassetto, Encyclopedia Britannica, 
  “Al-Hakim, the Holy Sepulcher, and the West around the Year 1000”
John St. Lawrence, University of Texas at Austin,
“Recorts and Remembrance: Vavasour society imagining the law at the end of the Crusades”

6:00-7:00 Reception, Special Collection Room, Hesburgh Library
 
7:30-9:30 Banquet, Private Dining Rooms, Morris Inn
 
9:45-12:00 President’s Reception, Alumni Room Morris Inn

Meeting Minutes

In their 42nd annual migration, prompted by the horrific Huns of research, the Midivisimedievalists once again headed northward and crossed the boundary into the University of Notre Dame for the fifth time in their long and distinguished history of peregrinations. Portents were good-an overabundance of Lady Bugs had been sighted just before that fall in South Bend, Indiana heralding a good and bountiful meeting 10-11 October 2003.

Cohosts and cohorts Olivia Remie Constable and Thomas F. X. Noble, in a dual consulship, welcomed us sumptuously with all honor due our status, and they and their legions allowed us safe passage into their territory and provided for every need of weary travelers in search for intellectual and social stimulation. We thank them heartily for their generosity. Program Chair Laura Wertheimer of the Cleveland State clan provided wondrous and marvelous reasons for the migration with an incomparable assortment of sights to see and things to hear in the papers that were presented. The once-long-haired President Louis Haas, of the Middle Tennessee State University riparian clan presided in his typical do-nothing fashion.

FRIDAY
Settling first at McKenna Hall, in the Council Room called Auditorium, tribal elders were regaled by tales of deeds well done and papers well researched by young doctoral warriors:

In the session New Approaches to British History,
Christopher Hill, of distinguished name, and from the University of Texas at Austin, presented "The Enemies of St. Thomas: A Sharper Perspective on 12th Century Legal Reform"

David Fortin from Catholic University of America-he no Arian-talked about: The New British History: A Revision"-and well-revised it was.

In the Session Church Institutions and Church Reform
Linda Beckum from the University of Kentucky clan, stained with woad, memorialized "Innocent III and the Fourth Lateran Council: Church, Reform, Exclusivity, and the Jews"

Yossi Maurey, from the University of Chicago by the vast lakeshore recounted "Two Centuries of Liturgical Reform in Saint Martin of Tours, 1204-1395"

In the Session Piety and Sanctity
Vincent Ryan, of the SLU-Madden comitatus from Saint Louis University, discussed "The First Crusade, Marian Piety, and the Expansion of the Cult of the Virgin in the Medieval West.

Jennifer Edwards from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, a place of blessed and renowned memory to many of us here, delivered "Re-Placing Saint Radegund: Battles over Gender Identity, Power, and Space in High Medieval Poitiers"

David Mengel from Xavier University-one of the Cincinnati-provided "A Holy and Faithful Fellowship: Royal Saints in Fourteenth-Century Bohemia"

Being now tired and sated with these stories, the Midivisimedievalists wandered hither and yon, far and wide, sturm and drang, for drink and food, finally retiring to the fabulous and fabled white-ramparted mead hall of Thomas Noble (50750 Andover Trail-which turned into a dreaded cul-de-sac, but well-situated for defense), where the libations flowed like honey. Tales were told and plots laid. No Grendal but no Beowulf either-or hither or thither.

Weary and bibulous Midivisimedievalists retired to the Morris Inn, but dawn spread its rosy fingers too quickly and too early for too many of them, for the next day was upon them.

SATURDAY
Once again ensconcing themselves in the Council Room called Auditorium, Midivisimedievalists were welcomed by royal and curial officials from the University of Notre Dame, very pleased and welcoming were they with our appearance inside their borders.

Now came the turn of the grizzled, scarred, hoary-headed archival warriors, to throw away one's note cards is the supreme disgrace, for we have a taste for scribbling-regaling all with tales of deeds well done and papers well researched:

In the Session The Iberian World
Jennifer Speed, from Fordham University, told of "The Legal Aspects of an Iberian Crusade"

Isobel O'Connor, from Indiana University South Bend, told of "The Mudejars and the Courts: Justice in Action
Bernard Reilly, from Villanova University, told of "The Historian's Craft in 13th Century Iberia: The Chronicle Latina Regum Castellae"

Next came the fabled plenary address of great tradition, chaired by Olivia Remie Constable.
Robert Burns, from UCLA, the home of the fabled great bear, who has read much and traveled far honored us and told of the wonders of "A Medieval Encyclopedia: The Great Partidas of King Alfonso the Learned." And learned they were and it was. The Midivisimedievalists responded well and positively with a proper baritus-we thank Father Burns for his presentation and learning.

Having now worked up a healthy appetite after so much regaling, the Midivisimedievalists willingly retired to the Center Dining Area for lunch-and grudgingly retired there for a business meeting.

There an assembly was held and much was accomplished. Louis Haas, one of the do-nothing presidents, held forth and presided.

Mark Angelos of the Manchester College clan, starkly reminded us of the deeds we accomplished at the 41st Annual Meeting at Indiana University in 2002, which brought many a tear of remembrance of our youth and past vigor and past triumphs and conquests.

Martin Arbagi of the Wright State University clan discussed the status of our loot, booty, plunder, geld and wergeld, where we somehow or other ended in the black again. He suggested that the 2004 meeting might be a good and auspicious time to elect a new treasurer and one from a state that does not have such rigorous user fees for 501(c) (3) organizations. Imperial financial rescripts trouble us simple tribal folk-they are just too Byzantine.

Elections were held; in true suffragia-fashion, expressing approbation with their weapons, the Midivisimedievalists elected the following officers and chieftains:

Linda Mitchell of the Alfred University clan was elected President-as one of the do-something presidents.

Tom Burman of the University of Tennessee clan was elected Vice President/ President-elect

Michael Frassetto of the Encyclopedia Britannica clan on the vast lake was elected Program chair for the 2004 migration

With much sadness and lamentation, Mark Angelos stepped down as Secretary, and with much wailing and gnashing of teeth-though whose it was unknown and left unsaid-Louis Haas was elected Secretary-woe unto you who expect clean records, untroubled by a bad hand-his miniscule is small and obscure; his majuscule great but unreadable and his Latin is corrupt.

Martin Arbagi continued as Treasurer

Greg Guzman of the Bradley University clan and Annette Parks of the University of Evansville clan, a place known to some and many as the font and wetnurse of the best of medieval minds, continued as Counselors

Tom Burman volunteered to lead the Midivisimedievalists the next year further south to the land of milk and honey and grits and BBQ at the University of Tennessee as host.

Other business delayed the Midivisimedievalists. President Mitchell called for a meeting of conference members in attendance at Kalamazoo in a select fyrd to discuss MMHC sponsored sessions at Kalamazoo for 2005, which she agreed to organize, venues for future MMHC meetings, and the future of the conference. Discussion was also held-after discoveries were made in the archives-of whether or not the conference should reexamine the Constitution to see whether or not it needs amending or greater adherence to its rules, specifically regarding the existence, use of, and purview of its nominating committee. In true conciliar fashion, decision was deferred to a future meeting.

Having engorged themselves on lunch and business, the Midivisimedievalists returned again to the Council Room called Auditorium, where once again they were regaled-but lids and bellies lay heavy and weighty that afternoon.

In the Session Land, Law and Identity
Donald Fleming, of the Hiram College clan, told of "Knighthood and Law in England during the late twelfth-century"

John Freed, of the Illinois State University clan, told of "The Creation of the Codex Falkensteinensis (1166): Self-Representation and Reality"

Rick Keyser, of the Western Kentucky University clan, told of "Boundary Determination in High Medieval Champagne"

In the Session The East and the West
Michael Frasetto of previous mention, told of "Al-Hakim, the Holy Sepulcher, and the West Around the Year 1000"

John St. Lawrence, of the University of Texas at Austin clan, told of "Recorts and Remembrance: Vavasour society: Imagining the law at the end of the Crusades"

After this the Midivisimedievalists migrated to the Special Collection Room of the Hesburgh Library for a reception amongst the records, where the documentation and illustration of the past looked down upon them and reminded them of their duty and responsibility as well as their need and responsibility not to spill or smear anything. Next they migrated to the Morris Inn where the banquet tables were laden thrice over with Fennel Crusted Pork and Hardwood Grilled Breast of Chicken. Lastly, they migrated to the President's reception at the Alumni Room of the Morris Inn-no Morris dancing though. There in true midivisimedievalist fashion they made demands on the generosity of their chief-who in true fashion as well returned the Gift ala Marcel Mauss.

Here ends the minutes.

Archives       Main Page