Between “regnum” and “sacerdotium” : historiography, hagiography, liturgy and the patronage of St Peter in Salian Saxony (1024-1125)

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jörg Bölling
• Subject Area: Medieval History
• Term: Funded in 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 357588562

The conflict between the sacred and the secular sphere during the High Middle Ages did not only take place at the level of the Empire – as the much discussed Investiture Controversy. In Salian Saxony, the veneration of St Peter as the Prince of the Apostles also caused regional tension between “regnum” and “sacerdotium”. This is especially shown in the historiography, hagiography and liturgy of the cathedrals dedicated to St Peter in Bremen, Minden, Osnabrück and Naumburg-Zeitz, but also becomes apparent from other patronages of St Peter, for instance at Abdinhof Abbey in Paderborn. Every institution, organization and person, man or woman, venerating St Peter as a peculiar patron, had to make his or her own choice between the competing spheres. Hence, this specific veneration of St Peter in Salian Saxony is not only a phenomenon of interest in ecclesiastical history. Concerning cultural history, it also indicates an increasing differentiation of decision-making processes.

• DFG Programme: Publication Grants