Key Figures in Medieval Europe. An Encyclopedia

FULBERT OF CHARTRES

(ca. 960–1028)
Born of humble parents probably in Aquitaine, perhaps
Poitou, Fulbert studied at Reims under Gerbert of Auril-
lac (later Pope Sylvester II), the outstanding master of
the day. Fulbert became master of the cathedral school
at Chartres in the 990s and served as master and chan-
cellor before becoming bishop of Chartres in 1006. He
had a close association with King Robert II the Pious
of France, a schoolmate of Fulbert’s at Reims. Fulbert
was particularly well versed in law and medicine and
was familiar with the astronomical works that had been
recently translated from the Arabic. Although intellectu-
ally conservative (he avoided the new discipline of dia-
lectics), his teaching attracted one of the most dialectical
thinkers of the time: Berengar of Tours, condemned for
his novel eucharistic opinions.
After the cathedral burned in 1020, Fulbert began a
campaign to rebuild it, a project made possible by the
generosity of King Canute of England and Denmark,
as well as King Robert of France. The new, spacious
crypt constructed by Fulbert remains the largest crypt in
France and became the basis for all further construction
at the site. The new crypt was meant to accommodate
the pilgrims who came to venerate the holy relic of the
sancta camisia, a garment reputed to have been worn by
Mary when she gave birth to Jesus; it was enshrined at
Chartres from the 9th century forward and is still pos-
sessed by the cathedral. Fulbert was an avid promoter
of devotion to the Virgin.
Fulbert was also a reformer who campaigned against
simony (buying and selling church offi ce’s) and clerical

marriage. Like most bishops of his day, Fulbert was both

a churchman and a feudal lord, and he knew fi rst-hand

the tension of dual allegiances. In a well-known letter to

Duke William V of Aquitaine, his long-time benefactor,

Fulbert explains the meaning of the feudal oath. But in

another, he is highly critical of ecclesiastics who are

intent on bearing arms rather than on keeping the peace

of the church. In several letters, he rebukes Foulques III

Nerra, count of Anjou, for his depredations.

Of Fulbert’s sermons, the best known is that com-

posed for the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, in

which he recounts the history of Théophile, a Christian

who after selling his soul to the Devil was rescued by

the Virgin. Fulbert’s legend of Théophile is the subject

of Rutebeuf’s Miracle de Théophile. An excellent lati-

nist and one of the best writers of his day, Fulbert left

behind a substantial body of correspondence, some

140 letters, with leading churchmen, including abbots

Abbo of Fleury, Richard of Saint-Vannes, and Odilo

of Cluny. He also wrote several poems and a few other

miscellaneous works.

See also Cnut

Further Reading

Fulbert of Chartres. Opera omnia. PL 141.185–368.

——. The Letters and Poems of Fulbert of Chartres, ed. and trans.

Frederick Behrends. Oxford: Clarendon, 1976.

MacKinney, Loren Carey. Bishop Fulbert and Education at the

School of Chartres. Notre Dame: Mediaeval Institute, Uni-

versity of Notre Dame, 1957.

Mark Zier

FULBERT OF CHARTRES