Ivo of Chartres

Ivo (Yves) of Chartres (c. 1040 - 23 December 1115) was the Bishop of Chartres during the late 12th century through to the early 13th century, and was an important contributor to the understanding of Canon Law during the time of the Investiture Crisis.

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Biography

Ivo of Chartres was born to a noble family in Beauvais, France in 1040. He studied first in Paris, then in Abbey of Bee in Normandy where (according to some sources) he studied under Lanfranc along with Anselm of Canterbury. We do not hear much of him until some time after he had joined the clergy, when around 1080 he was asked to become the prior of the canon at the Augustinian house of Saint Quentin at Beauvais by his bishop. From there he quickly established himself as being one of the best teachers in all of France during this time.

However, it was his knowledge in canon law as both a lawyer and a clerical operate that most likely won him in 1090 the position as successor of the previous Bishop of Chartres (who either had been removed from his position or had left it after a simony scandal). It is important to note here that there are some discrepancies over who was Ivo's predecessor and successor; this is because different sources suggest that it was Geoffrey of Chartres for both positions, only that Urban II recommended Ivo in this position due to his knowledge of canon law. In light of the events that preceded his appointment to the office of bishop, his strong opposition to the practice of simony may well have played a role in his ascension to the higher office.

Considered by some scholars to be a Humanist, he was known for his zeal, piety, sound judgment, courtesy of the rights of others, faithfulness to his responsibilities, and he was devoted to both his country and the sacred obligations of his seat. He was also known to be outspoken about things he believed to be wrong. This firm belief and piety lead to some troubles for him during his twenty-five year reign as bishop of Chartres. Around 1092, Philip I was the current king of France and was married to Bertha of Holland but wished to be essentially rid of her so that he may marry Bertrade of Anjou. Believing in the sanctity of marriage, Ivo of Chartres was vocally against this to such a degree that he became incarcerated. It was not until two years later that he was release due to the great public outcry against his treatment at the hands of King Philip I.

It is also important to note that we do not really see much in the way of the Gregorian reforms in this area until Ivo of Chartres receives the office of bishop. He was an acquaintance of Countess Adele of Blois, who helped him reform the abbey of St.Jean-en-Vallée. In addition, on several occasions he stood by her decisions when the questions were put to him, most notably during the events concerning Rotrou when he refused to assert ecclesiastical sanctions against him. It was also during his time in office that he wrote the bulk of his works, which he later became most noted for and as such, awarded him a place among the top fifty greatest thinkers of the medieval era (as detailed in John Scottus Eriugena's book, "Great Medieval Thinkers"). And is recognized by Salutati as an eloquent writer despite his affirmation that there is (or was) a degradation of eloquence of writing outside of Italy.

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Writings

Ivo of Chartres was a prolific writer but is most recognized for his canonical works titled, Decretum (seventeen books in length) and Panormia (eight books in length). Both deal primarily with ecclesiastical canon law and the issue of Paul's version of "caritas", or love within the Christian faith. His works are filled with the issues of charitable love and dispensation in a pastoral manner within the Holy See. He felt that that "caritas" was the answer to sin, not harsh punishment without any remorse. This theme is most evident in his prologue, which is most often compared to the teachings and writings of the church fathers then the scholars of his day. Paul in particular and his message of loving your fellow man as you would yourself is what are most prevalent in Ivo of Chartres' written words. This is best capture in the quote taken from Vaughan and Rubinstein's book, Teaching & Learning in Northern Europe 100-1200, "He was called to teach. His lesson was love. It was all that mattered." (pp.147).

However, Ivo of Chartres was not just known for his two books but also his 288 letters of correspondence. These letters often dealt with issues of liturgy, canonical matters and dogmatic issues, and, much like his other works, dealt with "caritas".It has also been suggested that his ideas on doctrines influenced the final agreement in the Concordant of Worms (1122).

There is also the matter of his sermon (twenty-five in total and referred to by some scholars as the Tripartita) deal with much of the same things detailed in his Decretum and Panormia.

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Later Influence

Ivo of Chartres influence spans far and wide in the realm of the religious scholars following him. Most notably amongst them would be Hugh of St. Victor, Landolfo Colonna, and Alger of Liège;both of whom often quoted or cited the Prologus of either his works. Many of those listed also continued his theme of caritas and his teachings of canon law.

Although it is not known when he was canonized, but the 20th of May is recognized by the Catholic Church as Saint Ivo of Chartres' feast day.

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Bibliography

Barker, Lynn K. "MS Bodl. Canon. Pat. Lat. 131 and a Lost Lactantius of John of Salisbury: Evidence in Search of a French Critic of Thomas Becket." Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, Vol. 22, No. 1 (Spring, 1990), pp. 26

Brasington, Bruce C. "Lessons of Love: Bishop Ivo of Chartres as Teacher". In Teaching and Learning in Northern Europe, 1000-1200, edited by Sally N. Vaughn and Jay Rubenstein. (Belgium: Brepolis Pulishers n.v., 2006.) pp. 129-147.

Brooke, C.N.L. "Gregorian Reform in Action: Clerical Marriage in England, 1050-1200." Cambridge Historical Journal, Vol. 12. No. 1 (1956), pp. 4.

Donovan, Richard B. "Salutati's Opinion of Non-Italian Latin Writers of the Middle Ages." Studies in the Renaissance, Vol. 14 (1967), pp. 191-192.

Izbicki, Thomas M. "Review of Prefaces to Canon Law Books in Latin Christianity: Selected Translations, 500-1247. by Robert Somerville ; Bruce Brasington." The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 30, No. 1 (Spring, 1999), pp. 314.

Little, Lester K. "Pride Goes before Avarice: Social Change and the Vices in Latin Christendom." The American Historical Review, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Feb., 1971), pp. 46-47.

Livingstone, Amy. "Kith and Kin: Kinship and Family Structure of the Nobility of Eleventh- and Twelfth Century Blois-Chartres." French Historical Studies, Vol. 20, No. 3 (Summer, 1997), pp. 435, 452.

LoPrete, Kimberly A. "The Anglo-Norman Card of Adela of Blois" Albion: A Quarterly Journal Concerned with British Studies, Vol. 22, No. 4 (Winter, 1990), pp. 582, 585, 586.

MacDonald Walker, Barbara. "King Henry I's "Old Men"" The Journal of British Studies, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Nov., 1968), pp. 15.

Poole, Reginald L. "The Masters of the Schools at Paris and Chartres in John of Salisbury's Time." The English Historical Review, Vol. 35, No. 139 (Jul., 1920), pp. 324.

Smalley, Beryl. "Master Ivo of Chartres." The English Historical Review, Vol. 50, No. 200 (Oct., 1936), pp. 680-686.

Sprandel, Rolf. "Ivo von Chartres und seine Stellung in der Kirchengeshicte" Pariser historische Studien. Bd. 1. (1962), pp. 88-94.

Rolker, Christof. "Ivo of Chartres' Pastoral Canon Law." Bulletin of Medieval Canon Law, New Series Vol. 25, (2002-2003)http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~SKIMCL/Rolkercomplete.pdf

Wormald, Patrick. The Making of the English Law: King Alfred to the Twelfth Century. [city unknown] : Blackwell Publishing, 1999. pp. 471.

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External links

* [http://project.knowledgeforge.net/ivo/ Ivo of Chartres collection]
*worldcat id|lccn-n88-70664

References