A Warrior Bishop of the Twelfth Century: The Deeds of Albero of Trier, by Balderich (review)

Archbishop Albero of Trier (1131–52) played an important role in the politics of the German kingdom for more than two decades, not least as a consolidator and defender of the archiepiscopal principality of Trier. His biographer, Balderich of Florennes (died c. 1163), was the master of the cathedral school at Trier, after he was recruited by the archbishop from a teaching position in Paris. The Deeds of Albero, written not long after the archbishop's death, provides a largely "secular" account of the prelate's life beginning with his career as a pro-papal cleric at Metz during the ongoing struggle between King Henry V of Germany (1106–25) and Popes Paschal II (1099–1118) and Calixtus II (1119–24) over the power to appoint bishops in Germany, often described as the investiture controversy. The bulk of the account describes Albero's reign as archbishop of Trier, and his numerous political and military initiatives to strengthen the financial and territorial position of his see. The Deedsis one of the critically important narrative sources for the German kingdom in the first half of the twelfth century, providing insights, from the archiepiscopal perspective, of the role that leading churchmen should and did play in contemporary politics. In composing the text, Balderich also included references to and even citations of numerous lost documents ( perditaand fragmenta) that shed yet further light on the complex archiepiscopal and royal administrative practices of the day.

Among the many desideratafor teaching medieval history to undergraduates is the availability of reasonably priced and well-annotated translations of narrative works. This need is nowhere more exigent than in German history, which has suffered from neglect in the Anglophone world. The clear, readable, and accurate translation of this text by Brian A. Pavlac helps to fill this lacuna and is a boon to scholars and students alike. In a substantial introduction, Pavlac provides the historical background for Albero's reign, including a brief discussion of the investiture controversy. Pavlac includes biographical information for both Albero and Balderich, and also sets out the structure of Balderich's text. Perhaps most valuable for both students and scholars, Pavlac also provides a detailed discussion of Balderich's sources, parti pris, rhetorical strategy, prose style, and goals. This introductory section will offer useful guideposts to instructors for teaching this text to undergraduates and also help scholars to situate Deedswithin the broader tradition of history writing in twelfth-century Germany and Europe.

There are some minor problems with the text that do not diminish the overall value of the work. Pavlac notes (p. 22) that he has maintained the chapter divisions found in the oldest surviving, and perhaps autograph, copy of the manuscript located at the Stadtbibliothek at Trier. For the convenience of readers who wish to read this text in conjunction with the widely available edition in MGH SS 8, however, he might well put in a note in a future edition with a correlation of the chapter divisions between the two texts. A more serious issue is Pavlac's anachronistic translation of the term milesas "knight." In most cases, Balderich uses this term simply to denote a professional soldier, without reference to social status. The term knight, with its connotations of nobility, is misleading.