ABSTRACT
The secular aristocracy maintained all kinds of ties with the religious elite. Bishops were of noble descent and the aristocracy supplied most of the monastery’s inmates to reel in heavenly favours and prestige. Monks of noble stock did not abandon their sense of station upon entering the cloisters, but instead continued to view themselves as of noble birth. The canonization of a member of the aristocracy meant greater esteem for his clan.
The aristocracy was specialized in warfare. Its violence and rapacity were a huge menace for its potential victims. The clergy tried to prevent usurpation of Church property by threatening to invoke supernatural sanctions, although it initially tolerated the endemic violence of the world of the powerful laity. An exception was the ninth-century monk Christian of Stavelot, who voiced strong criticism of the abuse of power, and of the clergy who condoned it. Gradually, however, the Church adopted a more offensive stance.
Descent, wealth, courage and generosity were the pith of the aristocracy’s self-image. Their lives were geared to these attributes: they entered into marriage alliances within their own ranks, paraded their luxuries, cultivated their valour and hunting skills, preserved orally transmitted legal knowledge and made up the audience of orally transmitted epic literature. The matter of the secular aristocratic narrative material buttressed their self-image. They were active within the judiciary and administration, but refused to engage in agricultural labour. A very potent physical and psychological boundary separated the aristocracy from the peasantry.
