The Ellenhard Case: Vows, Penance, and Community in early 12th Century Ecclesiastical Reform

Abstract

This thesis examines how the community of canons at the Utrecht cathedral chapter in the early twelfth century reacted to perceived intentional change during the Ellenhard case. Ellenhard, a canon in that community, resigned to become a regular canon in the Augustinian Springiersbach, only to return three years later in 1110-1111. The community split into two factions, one supporting Ellenhard’s behaviour, the other condemning it. Two compilations of letters and various other sources were composed in the early twelfth century as a response to the case: Meingot’s dossier in the Codex Udalrici and Reimbald’s Stromata. Previous studies saw the Ellenhard case as evidence of larger clerical and canonical reform movements from the long twelfth century. This thesis reevaluates the compilations of Meingot and Reimbald by performing a close reading of the text, focusing on their discussions of vows, penance, and community. The sources state that the return of a convert like Ellenhard was a shocking and new development. In their discussion, the various authors of the sources debate the concepts of vows and penance and the implications of the changing approaches to the concepts. They represent a fear of loosening communal boundaries. This thesis concludes that the community in the Utrecht cathedral chapter was responding to perceived intentional change resulting from the actions of Ellenhard and his defenders, but it does not support the use of the historical framework of reform.