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 composed 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 latinist 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.
Mark Zier
[See also: ABBO OF FLEURY; ARABIC PHILOSOPHY, INFLUENCE OF;
BERENGAR OF TOURS; CHARTRES; GERBERT OF AURILLAC; ODILO;
SCHOOLS, CATHEDRAL]
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, University of Notre Dame, 1957.
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