Abbesses and Their Fighting Men

Abstract

The position of male ecclesiastical princes – bishops and abbots – as integral elements of Carolingian military organisation is well established. Less investigated is the corresponding role of female ecclesiastical princes, the abbesses. This article demonstrates that the function of abbesses was not materially different to that of their male colleagues-in-office, tracks the legal and political development into the High Middle Ages and considers some ramifications of our findings. In particular, we conclude that convents were politically powerful and integrated into the secular military organisation, but within the context of the secular polity played a power-neutralising and stabilising role.

Keywords

• Abbey
• Abbess
• Ecclesiastical Prince
• Medieval Military
• Carolingian
• Ottonian