Pupils and Sources in Late Medieval Lyon

Abstract

The medieval elementary and grammar-school pupil is a partially-hidden figure in the documentary sources of the period. Their existence, and their existence in abundance, is clear from the fact that so many schools and teachers were operating in the later Middle Ages. Evidence specific to the schoolchild, however, is lacking and the researcher has to explore documents in lateral way in order to find information on their everyday experiences. Even identifying individual pupils by name can be difficult. This article will explore the archival sources available in French cities, in this case the city of Lyon, in an effort to identity possible sources of data on the medieval schoolchild. It will look at sources that name pupils, either as groups or as individuals, and it will discuss what evidence for their daily lives can be extrapolated from a selection of documents. The documents examined in the article include the proceedings of ecclesiastical chapters, school statutes, obituaries, wills, proceedings of the municipal council, and pedagogical literature. Some of these must be closely read in order to find the children and pupils within their pages but they are there, often in surprising circumstances, such as the illegitimate children who received legacies from the parents and other family members in order to pursue their education and the pupils who had early-printed works dedicated to them. This article will serve as a map for other scholars seeking to study pre-modern school children. How to reference this article Lynch, S. (2015). Pupils and Sources in Late Medieval Lyon. Espacio, Tiempo y Educación, 2(2), 289-311. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14516/ete.2015.002.002.014

Keywords

• medieval education
• pupils
• sources
• France