Return to the index of "Other Women's Voices."
Updated 07-17-08
Dhuoda of Septimania
/of Uzes (c.806/11-aft.843)
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"YOU WILL HAVE LEARNED DOCTORS TO TEACH YOU..., BUT THEY
ARE NOT OF EQUAL STATUS WITH ME."
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The first we know of Dhuoda is that she was married in 824 in the imperial palace at Aachen to Bernard, Duke of Septimania (c.802-844). Her own family was noble, but she tell us nothing specific about them. She learned to write fluently in Latin at a time when relatively few lay persons did. In 826 she and Bernard had a son, William; in 841 they had another, who would be named Bernard.
Until the 840 death of Charlemagne's son Louis I, Bernard of Septimania was a powerful figure: he was an important military leader who briefly acted as Louis' chancellor, and he was godfather to Louis' youngest son, Charles. There are contemporary accounts accusing Bernard of financial malpractice and of adultery with Louis' queen, but these were written by his political opponents who, like Bernard, were seeking to gain and hold positions of power.
At Louis' death, the Carolingian empire began to collapse. His eldest son held the title of emperor, but there was fierce conflict about what son would rule what portion of land. For three years, there was a state of war. Bernard was officially on the side of his godson, Charles the Bald, but at one battle in 841, Bernard either was late sending his troops to Charles' aid or actually betrayed him (depending on which sources you read). At any rate, Charles was furious, and Bernard sent his 15-year-old son William to his court, both to serve the 20-year-old Charles and to act as a hostage to his father's future loyalty.
This is when we hear from Dhuoda. She was living in Uzes (in the south of France, near Nimes) supervising the protection of Bernard's lands. Before November of 841, Bernard had their infant son (who had been born in March) moved from Uzes to another of his castles, in Aquitaine; the child had not yet been baptized, so Dhuoda didn't know his name. Unable to continue to influence her children directly, she wrote Liber manualis quem ad filium suum transmisit Wilhelmum, a handbook for William to use in guiding his own life and in teaching his younger brother. She completed her book in a little over a year; after February, 843, we know nothing certain about her.
In the same year, 843, in a treaty among the heirs of Louis, Charles became the first king of France. A year later, Bernard was accused of plotting to kill the king and executed. In 849, William, fighting to avenge his father and to secure his lands, was killed. Dhuoda's second son, Bernard, although at times also involved in intrigues, survived to have two children and to die (perhaps peacefully, perhaps by execution) around 887.
However unsuccessful Dhuoda's manual for a holy and prosperous life appears to have been for William, though perhaps not for the younger Bernard, it is a fascinating document that shows the writer taking what she had learned from Scripture, from other written works, and from her own experience of life and then creating from all that an original statement of what the active moral life of the aristocratic class should be. As a textbook for very young men, Liber manualis uses every device to gain and keep a young reader's attention: word games, number games, biblical stories told in a simple style, examples from literature and from everyday life.
On this page you'll find:
Links to helpful sites online.
Excerpts from a translation in print.
Information about secondary sources.
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1. Passages from Liber manualis:
(a) In a brief essay, a passage from the opening lines that precede the prologue, explaining to William her purpose in writing, to "serve your young mind."
(b) The beginning of the prologue, in Latin and in English, telling William why he needs her book in "the swirl of the world."
(c) A brief passage from Book 1, on God's willingness to grant "prosperity in the world."
(d) A essay by John Lienhard that quotes several lines from Book 10's 24-line epitaph which Dhuoda wished placed on her tombstone, "Dhuoda's body, formed of earth," translated by James Marchand
(e) At the end of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Dhuoda, the Latin of lines from the verse opening of Book 10, describing her book as a sweet drink for the two brothers.
2. Excerpts from Carol Neel's introduction to her 1991 translation, Handbook for William: A Carolingian Woman's Counsel for Her Son.
3. Essays, etc.:
(a) Click on "Ethics in the Family: A Ninth Century Mother Trains Her Sons" for a 1997 essay by Clella I. Jaffe, describing the genre to which Liber manualis belongs and the values that Dhuoda wanted to pass on. (For information on another essay by Jaffe, see below, under "Secondary sources.")
(b) An abstract of a 1988-91 article by Karen Cherewatuk, "Speculum Matris: Dhuoda's Manual"; the 15-page article can be downloaded as a PDF file, in which Cherewatuk gives her own translation and the original of all passages quoted.
(c) In this section of an essay by Franco Pierini on the developing concept of Jesus as a teacher, see part 4.2 (about half way down the page) for a brief discussion of Dhuoda's presentation of Jesus as a knightly exemplar; quoted phrases are in Pierini's translation.
(d) A brief essay on Liber manualis by Norman Hugh Redington.
4. Reviews (for information on the books' treatment of Dhuoda, see "Secondary sources").
(a) Stacy Kerr on the 2001 essay collection, Medieval Memories: Men, Women and the Past, 700-1300.
(b) Samantha Blackmon on the 1997 collection, Listening to Their Voices: The Rhetorical Activities of Historical Women.
(c) Paolo Cherchi on Peter Dronke's 1994 study, Verse with Prose from Petronius to Dante: The Art and Scope of the Mixed Form.
5. The publishers' descriptions of two translations (for excerpts from Thiebaux and information on Neel's book, see "In print"):
(a) Marcelle Thiebaux's 1998 Liber Manualis: Handbook for Her Warrior Son.
(b) Neel's 1991 Handbook for William: A Carolingian Woman's Counsel for Her Son.
6. For historical background:
(a) On the society of southern France during Dhuoda's time,"The Carolingian System," one section of a longer essay by Archibald R. Lewis.
(b) A map of the empire in 843, showing Septimania in the far southeast of Charles' land.
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[With her translation of Liber manualis, Marcelle Thiebaux also gives the Latin original. Her introduction is thorough, as are her notes. The bibliography is quite brief. (See the book's table of contents online.):]
Liber manualis: handbook for her warrior son / Dhuoda; edited
and translated by Marcelle Thiebaux (Cambridge medieval classics;
8). Cambridge, U.K.; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.
(ix, 276 p.)
LC#: BJ1550 .D48513 1998; ISBN: 0521400198,
0521395992
English & Latin. Includes bibliographical references (p.
275-276)
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"You can gaze upon me as on an image in a mirror."
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[Dhuoda's double purpose is to teach (in an entertaining
way) both her sons and to make them think of her --- now and
after her death. At the book's opening:]
Dhuoda is always here to exhort you, my son, but in the anticipation
of the day when I shall no longer be with you, you have here
as a memento of me this little book of moral counsels. And you
can gaze upon me as on an image in a mirror, by reading with
mind and body and by praying to God, and you can find fully set
out those obligations you are to render me.
My son, you will have learned doctors to teach you many more examples, more eminent and of greater usefulness, but they are not of equal status with me, nor do they have a heart more ardent than I, your mother, have for you, my firstborn son....
And when your little brother, whose name I do not even know as yet, has received the grace of baptism in Christ, do not be slow to teach, encourage and love him, to rouse him to go from good the better. When he shall have reached the age of speaking and reading, show him this little volume, this Handbook which I have written and composed in your name. [Bk.1, pp.69-71]
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"I would write you a lengthier, more advanced text."
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[And near the end. This verse was dated the day after William's 16th birthday and one year after the work was begun --- part of a birthday card:]
You have now completed four times four years.
If my second son were of similar age,
I'd have copied another smaller primer for him.
Were you twice as old, and a quarter again,
And in years to come I might look upon your face,
I would write you a lengthier, more advanced text.
[Bk.10, p.219]
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"Recognize that your worldly position depends upon him."
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[In Book 3, Dhuoda presents a hierarchy of loyalties: first God, then one's father. Bernard had very practical need of William's loyalty; since the father was not permitted at court, it was up to the son to work to rehabilitate Bernard's reputation --- and to try to recover his confiscated lands:]
It is true that in men's eyes, the outward appearance and power of kings prevail in this world, and men's custom is above all to venerate the actions and titles of kings --- as though royal and imperial power resided in the loftiness of their office....
Yet, my son, this is my wish: that, obeying my humble counsels and obeying God, you do not neglect as long as you live to render primarily a specific, devoted, and resolute allegiance to your father....
Therefore, I admonish you again, most beloved son William, that you love God as you have seen it written here earlier [in Books 1 & 2], and then love, fear, and cherish your father. Recognize that your worldly position depends upon him. Know, too, that from ancient times those who have cherished their fathers and truly obeyed them have deserved to receive a blessing by God from them. [p.89]
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"Never once let yourself fall into the folly... of breaking
faith."
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[Next in the hierarchy of loyalties is Charles the Bald, whom William is now serving --- and who had caused Bernard's disgrace:]
Hold fast still to Charles, whom you have as your lord, since God, as I believe, and your father Bernard chose for you at the beginning of your youth a flourishing strength for serving him---for he comes of a high and noble lineage on both sides of his family. Serve him not only so as to find favor in his eyes, but with capable insight concerning matters both of the body and the soul. Keep strong and true faith with him in all practical affairs.
[She cites some Old Testament examples of loyalty; then:]
That is why, son, I exhort you to keep this faith and keep it throughout your whole life. It will, as we believe, prove a very useful and increasing advantage for you and for your household, increasing your profits to the advantage of your followers. Never once let yourself fall into the folly, the outrageous affront of breaking faith. Never let such an idea of disloyalty against your lord arise or grow in your heart....
Such behavior never appeared or existed among your ancestors, they say; it does not exist at present, and never will in the future. [pp.93-95]
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"This deliberation of the calculating must always be present
in all things."
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[And if William should become a king's counselor:]
If God should one day advance you to such a high rank that you are counted worthy to be called to the council of magnates, examine prudently what words of fittingly proper advice you would offer, and when and to whom and how you would do it....
When metal-smiths endeavor to work gold to the proper thinness for applying gilt leaf, they wait for a desirable and propitious day, time, hour and temperature so that this bright, shimmering, precious metal will take on an even more striking brilliance and will more malleable for decorative use. So, too, in the judgment of prudent men, this deliberation of the calculating must always be present in all things. [p.97]
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"...in every activity that is absolutely favorable to their
practical interest."
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[After Charles, William's duty is to the royal family --- most of whom were intriguing against one another at court when they weren't actually at war among themselves:]
If you and your companions-at-arms should happen to merit a share of service in the royal or imperial court, or anywhere else that you may be found a useful servitor, fear, love, revere, and cherish your lord's kinsmen. These kinsmen, and others connected to your powerful and royal lord, are illustrious, glorious, and noble, some having secured their rank through descent from Charles's paternal lineage, others from matrimonial alliances. Show your firm allegiance to them in every activity that is absolutely favorable to their practical interest, with a fidelity of action that engages your mind as well as your body. [p.105]
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"...a fraternal creaturely kindness surges through all."
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[Dhuoda uses a herd of deer to show the need for loyalty among comrades-in-arms; the description of stags' actions comes from Pliny the Elder, but Dhuoda develops the comparison to human interaction:]
As for you, my son William, cherish and acknowledge those by whom your want to be acknowledged. Love, venerate, welcome, and honor everyone, so that you may deserve the enjoyment of a reciprocal benefit and the honor that pertains to it in changing circumstances....
Stags habitually behave in the following way: When a herd sets out to swim across bodies of water, or wide rivers with turbulent currents, one stag after the other lays its head and horns on the back of the one before it. By resting a little, they may quickly and more easily cross the water. They are so intelligent and have such subtle instinct that when they sense the leader is beginning to flag, they let him drop back to second place and choose the rearmost stag to swim at the head, so as to support and refresh the others. This way, as each changes places with all the others in turn, a fraternal creaturely kindness surges through all of them. [p.113]
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"God knows their hearts and all our hearts as we toil in
the world."
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[And finally, loyalty --- a prudent loyalty --- is owed to
the clergy:]
Since priests have titles and powers that are so numerous and elevated that their dignity shines in the world, I ask you to render all the honor you can to those who are worthy. For if you notice some whose merit fails to come up to the standard of their holy estate, don't rashly judge them. Avoid heaping blame on their whole lives, as many people do.... God knows their hearts and all our hearts as we toil in the world....
All the same, follow the example of those priests who you find to be more capable in intelligence, more perfect in their words and actions....
Take your meals in the company of the good priests, if you can, and with pilgrims who need food. Do this often.... Let them distribute food and drink to the poor from your own hand and your own table, and you will be rewarded hereafter. [pp.121-23]
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"...peace and concord with other people---if this be possible!"
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[Near the end of the book, Dhuoda lists those for whom the boys should pray; she has told her sons to honor their father, but she will not idealize him:]
Concerning your father, I exhort you, I urge you to pray constantly for him, and diligently, and to beg all ranks of the clergy to plead on his behalf so that as long as he lives God may grant him peace and concord with other people --- if this be possible! May God grant that his spirit, with patience and energy, shall strongly triumph in every situation. And if God wills, may your father at the end of this present life, through fruitful penance and generous almsgiving, gain the kingdom above. [Bk.8, p.199]
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"...as is the custom with many men."
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[Dhuoda has asked William to pray for her, now and after her death; then she goes on to ask him to pay her debts when she dies (the "March" refers to the Franco-Spanish border lands). Interesting here is what is revealed about the relationship between Dhuoda and Bernard:]
In fulfilling my usefulness to my seignorial lord Bernard, I am fearful that my feudal duties may falter in the March and in many other places.
And to prevent his separating from you and me (as is the custom with many men), I feel I have gone heavily into debt. [Bk.10, p.227]
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[This is a 1999 reprint of a 1991 translation by Carol Neel; new is a 11-page "Afterword" which comments on research of the 1990s and adds a supplemental bibliography. As with the 1991 edition, the introduction and notes are useful; the bibliography is more helpful than Thiebaux's (above). The chief advantage of the Thiebaux translation is the presence of the Latin original, which this doesn't provide. (See the book's table of contents online.):]
Dhuoda. Handbook for William: a Carolingian woman's counsel
for her son; translated and with an introduction and afterword
by Carol Neel (Medieval texts in translation). Washington, D.C.:
Catholic University of America Press, c1999. (xxviii, 163 p.).
LC#: BJ1550 .D48513 1999: ISBN: 0813209382
Originally published: Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press,
1991, in series: Regents studies in medieval culture. Includes
bibliographical references.
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[In her book, Marie Anne Mayeski studies Liber manualis as a work of original practical theology not derived from earlier authors. She quotes extensively and gives the Latin original of her translations. (See the book's table of contents online.):]
Mayeski, Marie Anne. Dhuoda: ninth century mother and theologian.
Scranton, Pa.: University of Scranton Press; Bronx, NY: Marketing
and distribution, Fordham University Press, c1995. (xii, 177
p.)
LC#: BJ1550.D4853 M39 1995; ISBN: 0940866463, 0940866471
Includes bibliographical references (p. [157]-163) and indexes.
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[Janet L. Nelson's essay in this collection, "Dhuoda," shows how Liber Manualis establishes its author's authority to assert (to other courtiers as well as to William) that the spirituality of laypeople was as important as that of clerics. Also valuable is Thomas F. X. Noble's essay, "Secular Sanctity: Forging an Ethos for the Carolingian Nobility," on a whole group of writers who taught the balancing of worldly duties and religious faith; Dhuoda is used as one of Noble's examples. (See the book's table of contents online.)
Lay intellectuals in the Carolingian world / edited by Patrick
Wormald and Janet L. Nelson. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2007. (xiii, 263 p.: ill.)
LC#: AZ603 .L39 2007; ISBN: 9780521834537
Includes bibliographical references and index
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[Steven A. Stofferahn's article gives a detailed description of the changes that have taken place in critical approaches to Liber Manualis since 1900. Especially valuable are Stofferahn's summaries of German and French studies not available in English. (Halfway down the page, see the issue's table of contents online.):]
Stofferahn, Steven A. The many faces in Dhuoda's mirror: The
Liber Manualis and a century of scholarship. Magistra:
a journal of women's spirituality in history, 4: 2 (Winter
1998), 89-134.
LC#: BX4210 .M224; ISSN: 1079-7572
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[Clella I. Jaffe's essay in this collection, "Dhuoda's
Handbook for William and the Mother's Manual Tradition,"
gives background information and a rhetorical analysis of the
contents of Liber manualis. See
the book's table of contents online.):]
Listening to their voices: the rhetorical activities of historical
women / edited by Molly Meijer Wertheimer (Studies in rhetoric
/communication). Columbia: University of South Carolina Press,
c1997. (xii, 408 p.)
LC#: P301 .L57 1997; ISBN 1570031711, 157003172X
Includes bibliographical references and index
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[M.A. Claussen's article is a useful analysis of Dhuoda's use of rhetoric and of her sources. (See the issue's table of contents online.):]
Claussen, M.A. Fathers of power and mothers of authority:
Dhuoda and the Liber manualis. French Historical Studies,
19 (1996), 785-809.
LC#: DC1 .F69; ISSN: 0016-1071
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[Glenn W. Olsen's article gives a close reading of Liber Manualis' Book 3, Chapter 10, describing how it interprets the section from the New Testament's Acts of the Apostles that describes the early Christian community. Olsen sees Dhuoda using the passage differently from other commentators by her egalitarian emphasis and her glorification of a lay rather than a clerical Christian life. Quoted passages are given in Olsen's translation:]
Olsen, Glenn W. One heart and one soul (Acts 4:32 and 34)
in Dhuoda's Manual. Church History: Studies in Christianity
and Culture, 61 (1992): 23-33.
BR140 .C58; ISSN: 0009-6407
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[Matthew Innes' essay in this collection, "Keeping It
in the Family: Women and Aristocratic Memory, 700-1200,"
devotes a section (pp.18-23) to Dhuoda's role as guardian and
transmitter of family memory. Innes explains the significance
of those lists of people for whom William was told to pray; in
the process we learn about Dhuoda's in-laws, including a half-sister
of Bernard who had been drowned as a witch. (See
the book's table of contents online.):]
Medieval memories: men, women and the past, 700-1300 / edited
by Elisabeth Van Houts (Women and men in history).Harlow, England;
New York: Longman, 2001. (xiii, 186 p.: geneal. tables)
LC#: CB351 .M3926 2001; ISBN: 0582369037,
0582369029
Includes bibliographical references and index
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[Peter Dronke's 1994 study briefly discusses Dhuoda's use of
verse in his chapter on "The Poetic and the Empirical 'I'":]
Dronke, Peter. Verse with prose from Petronius to Dante: the
art and scope of the mixed form. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University
Press, 1994. (x, 148 p.)
LC#: PA3014.L49 D76 1994; ISBN: 067493475X
"Carl Newell Jackson lectures." Includes bibliographical
references (p. [117]-143) and index.
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[This earlier book by Dronke has a much more detailed discussion of Liber Manualis in the chapter on Dhuoda. (Sees the book's table of contents online.):]
Dronke, Peter. Women writers of the Middle Ages: a critical
study of texts from Perpetua (d. 203) to Marguerite Porete (d.
1310). Cambridge/; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1984.
(xi, 338 p.)
LC#: PN671 .D7 1984; ISBN: 0521255805, 0521275733
Includes indexes. Bibliography: p. 320-332.
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Updated 07-17-08