Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- 50 Late Medieval Monasticism: Historiography and Prospects
- 51 Sources of Late Medieval Monasticism
- 52 Monastic Liturgy, 1100–1500: Continuity and Performance
- 53 Books and Libraries within Monasteries
- 54 Art in Monastic Churches of Western Europe from the Twelfth to the Fourteenth Century
- 55 Lay Brothers and Sisters in the High and Late Middle Ages
- 56 Female Religious Life in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
- 57 Striving for Religious Perfection in the Lay World of Northern Europe
- 58 Monks and the Universities, c. 1200–1500
- 59 Bishops, Canon Law, and the Religious, c. 1140–1350
- 60 Daily Life in Late Medieval Monasteries
- 61 Monastic Preaching, c. 1350–1545
- 62 Research on Monasticism in the German Tradition
- 63 Satirical Depictions of Monastic Life
- 64 A Crisis of Late Medieval Monasticism?
- Index
- References
60 - Daily Life in Late Medieval Monasteries
from Part IV - Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2020
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- 50 Late Medieval Monasticism: Historiography and Prospects
- 51 Sources of Late Medieval Monasticism
- 52 Monastic Liturgy, 1100–1500: Continuity and Performance
- 53 Books and Libraries within Monasteries
- 54 Art in Monastic Churches of Western Europe from the Twelfth to the Fourteenth Century
- 55 Lay Brothers and Sisters in the High and Late Middle Ages
- 56 Female Religious Life in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
- 57 Striving for Religious Perfection in the Lay World of Northern Europe
- 58 Monks and the Universities, c. 1200–1500
- 59 Bishops, Canon Law, and the Religious, c. 1140–1350
- 60 Daily Life in Late Medieval Monasteries
- 61 Monastic Preaching, c. 1350–1545
- 62 Research on Monasticism in the German Tradition
- 63 Satirical Depictions of Monastic Life
- 64 A Crisis of Late Medieval Monasticism?
- Index
- References
Summary
In November 1519, Cardinal Wolsey (d. 1530), the most powerful religious leader in England, presented a series of proposed reforms to the Benedictine order of monks. Although Wolsey’s proposals have not survived, the Benedictines’ response to them has. In a letter to the cardinal, the order pleaded that the reforms should not be adopted since they would lead to “flight and apostasy,” and that “in our age (with the world now drawing to its close) those who seek austerity of life and regular observance are very few and very rare.” Many contemporary critics agreed with Wolsey on the necessity of monastic reforms. Indeed, the closing centuries of the Middle Ages had witnessed a host of monastic criticism. From humanists such as Erasmus to poets such as William Langland (d. c. 1386) or Chaucer (d. 1400), late medieval monks and nuns were frequently the subject of derision for, among other things, their perceived wealth and slothfulness.
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- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West , pp. 1109 - 1124Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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