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William of Hirsau (; – 5 July 1091) was a
Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
abbot and monastic reformer. He was abbot of
Hirsau Abbey Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most important Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It is located in the Hirsau borough of Calw on the northern slopes of the Black Forest mountain range, in the present-day state of ...
, for whom he created the ''Constitutiones Hirsaugienses'', based on the uses of
Cluny Cluny () is a commune in the eastern French department of Saône-et-Loire, in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is northwest of Mâcon. The town grew up around the Benedictine Abbey of Cluny, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in ...
, and was the father of the Hirsau Reforms, which influenced many Benedictine monasteries in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. He supported the
papacy The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
in the
Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...
. In the Roman Catholic Church, he is a Blessed, the second of three steps toward recognition as a saint.


Early life

William was born in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, possibly in about 1030; nothing more is known of his origins. As a ''
puer oblatus In Christianity (specifically the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person associated with a Benedictine monastery or convent who is specifically dedicated to God and service. Oblates are i ...
'' entrusted to the Benedictines he received his education as a monk in
St. Emmeram's Abbey Saint Emmeram's Abbey ( or ''Reichsabtei Sankt Emmeram'') was a Benedictine monastery founded around 739 at Regensburg in Bavaria (modern-day southeastern Germany) at the grave of the itinerant Frankish bishop Saint Emmeram. The original abbe ...
,Ott, Michael. "Bl. William." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 17 December 2021
a private church of the
Bishop of Regensburg The Bishops of Regensburg (; or ) are bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany.
, where the famous
Otloh of St. Emmeram Otloh of St. Emmeram (also Othlo) (c. 1010 – c. 1072) was a Benedictine monk, composer, writer and music theorist of St Emmeram's in Regensburg. Life Otloh was born around 1010 in the bishopric of Freising. After studying at Tegernsee and Hers ...
was William's teacher. It is generally believed that it was here that William first became friends with
Ulrich of Zell Ulrich of Zell, also known as Wulderic, sometimes of Cluny or of Regensburg (c. 1029 – 1093), was a Cluniac reformer of Germany, abbot, founder and saint. Life Ulrich was born at Regensburg in Bavaria (formerly also known as Ratisbon) in e ...
(later distinguished as a
Cluniac Cluny Abbey (; , formerly also ''Cluni'' or ''Clugny''; ) is a former Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Cluny, Saône-et-Loire, France. It was dedicated to Saint Peter, Saints Peter and Saint Paul, Paul. The abbey was constructed ...
reformer and a saint), a friendship which lasted to the end of his life. William combined personal asceticism with an amiability toward others.


Activities

William became a priest and taught mathematics and astronomy."Wilhelm von Hirsau", Kloster Hirsau
/ref> He was a skilled musician and made various improvements on the
flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...
. About the middle of the 11th century, William composed learned treatises on astronomy and music, disciplines that formed part of the
quadrivium From the time of Plato through the Middle Ages, the ''quadrivium'' (plural: quadrivia) was a grouping of four subjects or arts—arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy—that formed a second curricular stage following preparatory work in th ...
, in the knowledge of which William was considered unsurpassed in his day. He constructed various astronomical instruments, made a sun-dial which showed the variations of the heavenly bodies, the
solstice A solstice is the time when the Sun reaches its most northerly or southerly sun path, excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around 20–22 June and 20–22 December. In many countries ...
s,
equinox A solar equinox is a moment in time when the Sun appears directly above the equator, rather than to its north or south. On the day of the equinox, the Sun appears to rise directly east and set directly west. This occurs twice each year, arou ...
es and other phenomena. His famous stone
astrolabe An astrolabe (; ; ) is an astronomy, astronomical list of astronomical instruments, instrument dating to ancient times. It serves as a star chart and Model#Physical model, physical model of the visible celestial sphere, half-dome of the sky. It ...
can still be seen today in
Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
: more than 2.5 metres high, it is engraved on the front with an astrolabe sphere, while on the reverse side is the figure of a man gazing into the heavens, presumed to be the
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
astronomer and poet Aratos of Soloi (of the 3rd century B.C.).


Abbacy

The Counts of
Calw Calw (; previously pronounced and sometimes spelled Kalb accordingly; ) is a Landstadt, town in the middle of Baden-Württemberg in the south of Germany, capital and largest town of the Calw (district), district Calw. It is located in the North ...
had dismissed Abbot Friedrich of
Hirsau Abbey Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most important Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It is located in the Hirsau borough of Calw on the northern slopes of the Black Forest mountain range, in the present-day state of ...
. as elected successor to the deposed Abbot Frederick. Their distant connection to the
Bishop of Regensburg The Bishops of Regensburg (; or ) are bishops of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany.
probably led to William's being sent as successor in May 1069. He immediately took over the management of the monastery, but refused to accept the abbatial benediction till after the death of his unjustly deposed predecessor in 1071. He was solemnly inaugurated by the Bishop of Speyer on Ascension Day in 1071. In his first years of office he pursued the goal of making the abbey independent of secular powers, on the basis of the reforms of
Gorze Abbey Gorze Abbey was a Benedictine monastery in Gorze in the present arrondissement of Metz, near Metz in Lorraine. It was prominent as the source of a monastic reform movement in the 930s. History Gorze Abbey was founded in around 757 by Bishop Ch ...
in
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
and of Cluny, which had begun to take effect some time previously. This policy put him in direct opposition to Hirsau's powerful
lay abbot Lay abbot (, ) is a name used to designate a layman on whom a king or someone in authority bestowed an abbey as a reward for services rendered; he had charge of the estate belonging to it, and was entitled to part of the income. The custom existed ...
s, the Counts of Calw. A writ of
Emperor Henry IV Henry IV (; 11 November 1050 – 7 August 1106) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1084 to 1105, King of Germany from 1054 to 1105, King of Italy and Burgundy from 1056 to 1105, and Duke of Bavaria from 1052 to 1054. He was the son of Henry III, Holy ...
, probably drafted shortly after 1070, although it created the important link between the abbey and the monarchy, nevertheless largely confirmed the status of Hirsau as a private monastery of the counts. However, a privilege of
Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII (; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. One of the great ...
, drawn up between 1073 and 1075, put Hirsau under papal protection. William eventually prevailed against Count Adalbert II of Calw, who renounced his lay lordship over the abbey. Henry IV immediately put the monastic community under his own protection, although Hirsau was not made an
imperial abbey Princely abbeys (, ''Fürststift'') and Imperial abbeys (, ''Reichskloster'', ''Reichsstift'', ''Reichsgotthaus'') were religious establishments within the Holy Roman Empire which enjoyed the status of imperial immediacy (''Reichsunmittelbarke ...
directly answerable to the monarch ('' reichsunmittelbar''). The count received by royal grant the ''
Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...
ei'' of the abbey. The abbey, by deed of 9 October 1075, received the "complete freedom of the monastery", which included the freedom to elect and invest the abbot, and to elect or dismiss the ''
Vogt An , sometimes simply advocate, (German, ), or (French, ), was a type of medieval office holder, particularly important in the Holy Roman Empire, who was delegated some of the powers and functions of a major feudal lord, or for an institutio ...
'', although it is true that the choice of candidates for the latter position was restricted to the kin of the founder. Under William's abbacy, Hirschau reached the zenith of its glory and, despite the unusually strict monastic discipline which he introduced from Cluny, the number of priest-monks increased from 15 to 150. As the monastery, dedicated to Saint Aurelius, was cramped, over-crowded and subject to flooding, He built a new monastic complex on the opposite side of the
Nagold Nagold () is a town in southwestern Germany, bordering the Northern Black Forest. It is located in the '' Landkreis'' (district) of Calw (Germany/Baden-Württemberg). Nagold is recorded for the first time in a historical document dating back to ...
. There, sometime after 1083, was built the largest monastery complex in Germany of the time, with its great Romanesque church dedicated to
Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
. The former site, he converted into a priory. In 1075 William went to Rome to obtain the papal confirmation for the exemption of Hirschau. On this occasion he became acquainted with
Pope Gregory VII Pope Gregory VII (; 1015 – 25 May 1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 April 1073 to his death in 1085. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. One of the great ...
, with whose efforts towards reforms he was in deep sympathy and whom he afterwards strongly supported in the
Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy or Investiture Contest (, , ) was a conflict between church and state in medieval Europe, the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops (investiture), abbots of monasteri ...
against Henry IV.


Hirsau Reforms

William became the leading agent of the Gregorian reform in Germany. He introduced to Hirsau, from no later than 1079, a number of reforms originating in Cluny, on which he based the "Constitutiones Hirsaugienses" ("Customs of Hirsau"), which later became very widespread as a result of the "Hirsau Reforms".Walz, Angelo. "San Guglielmo di Hirsau Abate", Santi e Beati, March 9, 2018
/ref> These reforms particularly focused on discipline and obedience, tough punishments for infringements of the rules and continuous supervision of the monks. Parallel with these developments he found it necessary, in order to bring under some sort of control the great numbers of laymen flocking to Hirsau, to create the institution of the '' conversi'' in the German Benedictine monasteries. Before this there were certainly men-servants in the monasteries, but they lived outside the monastery, wore no specifically religious clothing and took no vows. "The monastic reforms he called for in his "Hirsau Reform" became the most influential reforms of the 11th and 12th centuries east of the Rhine river, and served as an example to other monasteries." Many monasteries, perhaps as many as 200, both newly founded and long established, embraced the Hirsau Reforms. New abbeys, settled by monks from Hirsau, included Zwiefalten,
Blaubeuren Blaubeuren () is a town in the district of Alb-Donau near Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. it had 11,963 inhabitants. Geography Geographical location The core city Blaubeuren lies at the foot of the Swabian Jura, west of Ulm. Neighbori ...
, St. Peter im Schwarzwald and St. Georgen im Schwarzwald in
Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...
, and
Reinhardsbrunn Reinhardsbrunn is a historic complex in Friedrichroda near Gotha, in the German state of Thuringia. From its founding in 1085 to 1525, it was the site of the Benedictine house monastery of the Ludovingian Landgraves of Thuringia. Later used as ...
in
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
. Already existing monasteries which accepted the reforms included Petershausen near
Konstanz Konstanz ( , , , ), traditionally known as Constance in English, is a college town, university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the Baden-Württemberg state of south Germany. The city ho ...
,
Schaffhausen Schaffhausen (; ; ; ; ), historically known in English as Shaffhouse, is a list of towns in Switzerland, town with historic roots, a municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in northern Switzerland, and the capital of the canton of Schaffh ...
, Comburg, and St. Peter's in
Erfurt Erfurt () is the capital (political), capital and largest city of the Central Germany (cultural area), Central German state of Thuringia, with a population of around 216,000. It lies in the wide valley of the Gera (river), River Gera, in the so ...
. Finally, there were the priories such as Reichenbach in
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
, Schönrain in
Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...
and Fischbachau in Bavaria. He also had a standard edition of the
Vulgate The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...
made for all the monasteries of the reform.


Political implications

Support for the reforms came primarily from
Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...
and
Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...
, with a smaller following in Central and East Germany. The spread of the Hirsau Reforms was directly related to the reputation William had acquired through the ecclesio-political propaganda of the Investiture Controversy, as the main support of Pope Gregory's faction in Germany and in Swabia. He was on the side of the counter-kings
Rudolf of Swabia Rudolf of Rheinfelden ( – 15 October 1080) was Duke of Swabia from 1057 to 1079. Initially a follower of his brother-in-law, the Salian dynasty, Salian emperor Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV, his election as German anti-king in 1077 mar ...
(1077–1080) and Herman of Luxemburg, Count of Salm (1081–1088). Among other things, the tenacity of the Gregorian party in south-west Germany was due to him, quite apart from the reputation of Hirsau Abbey among ecclesiastical reformers. William died on 5 July 1091 and was buried in the abbey church.


Legacy

Besides composing the ''Constitutiones Hirsaugienses'' William of Hirsau was the author of the treatises "De astronomia", of which only the prologue is printed and "De musica". For centuries, he was miscredited with
William of Conches William of Conches (; ; ), historically sometimes anglicized as William Shelley, was a medieval Norman- French scholastic philosopher who sought to expand the bounds of Christian humanism by studying secular works of classical literature and fo ...
's , causing some scholars to further miscredit him with having originated
St Anselm Anselm of Canterbury OSB (; 1033/4–1109), also known as (, ) after his birthplace and () after his monastery, was an Italian Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher, and theologian of the Catholic Church, who served as Archbishop of Canterb ...
's
ontological argument In the philosophy of religion, an ontological argument is a deductive philosophical argument, made from an ontological basis, that is advanced in support of the existence of God. Such arguments tend to refer to the state of being or existing. ...
for the existence of God. His life is recorded in the ''Vita Willihelmi abbatis Hirsaugiensis''. William of Hirsau is commemorated by the Benedictines on 4 or 5 July."San Guglielmo di Hirsau", ''Avvenire''
/ref>


See also

*
Hirsau Abbey Hirsau Abbey, formerly known as Hirschau Abbey, was once one of the most important Benedictine abbeys of Germany. It is located in the Hirsau borough of Calw on the northern slopes of the Black Forest mountain range, in the present-day state of ...


References


Citations


Bibliography

Primary sources * ''Vita Wilhelmi abbatis Hirsaugiensis'', ed. Wilhelm Wattenbach, in: MGH SS 12, pp. 209–22
(Online version 1)(Online version 2)
* ''Wilhelm von Hirsau, Praefatio in sua astronomica'', in:
Jacques Paul Migne Jacques Paul Migne (; 25 October 1800 – 24 October 1875) was a French priest who published inexpensive and widely distributed editions of theological works, encyclopedias, and the texts of the Church Fathers, with the goal of providing a u ...
, ''
Patrologia Latina The ''Patrologia Latina'' (Latin for ''The Latin Patrology'') is an enormous collection of the writings of the Church Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers published by Jacques Paul Migne between 1841 and 1855, with indices published betwe ...
'', vol. 150: ''B. Lanfranci Cantuariensis archiepiscopi opera omnia'', Paris 1854 (cols. 1639–1642) * ''Wilhelm von Hirsau, Musica'', in: Jacques Paul Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 150, cols. 1147–1178 * . Secondary literature * * Buhlmann, Michael, 2004. ''Benediktinisches Mönchtum im mittelalterlichen Schwarzwald. Ein Lexikon. Vortrag beim Schwarzwaldverein St. Georgen e.V. St. Georgen im Schwarzwald, 10 November 2004 (= Vertex Alemanniae, H.10)'', pp. 107ff. St. Georgen. * Fischer, Max, 1910. ''Studien zur Entstehung der Hirsauer Konstitutionen''. Stuttgart. * Greiner, Karl, 1993. ''Hirsau. Seine Geschichte und seine Ruinen'', revised S. Greiner, 14th edn. Pforzheim. * ''Hirsau'', ed. Klaus Schreiner, in: Die Benediktinerklöster in Baden-Württemberg, ed. Franz Quarthal (= Germania Benedictina, Bd.5), pp. 281–303. Ottobeuren 1976. * Irtenkauf, Wolfgang, 1966. ''Hirsau. Geschichte und Kultur'', 2nd ed. Konstanz. * Jakobs, Hermann, 1961. ''Die Hirsauer. Ihre Ausbreitung und Rechtsstellung im Zeitalter des Investiturstreits (= Bonner Historische Abhandlungen, Bd.4) ''. Köln-Graz. * Köhler, J. ''Abt Wilhelm von Hirsau 1069–1091. Heiliger, Reformer, Politiker'', in: Der Landkreis Calw 1982–83, pp. 3–22 * McCarthy, T. J. H. ''Music, scholasticism and reform: Salian Germany, 1024–1125'' (Manchester, 2009). . * . * Schreiner, Klaus (ed.), 1991. ''Hirsau. St. Peter und Paul'', in two parts (= Forschungen und Berichte der Archäologie in Baden-Württemberg, Bd.10). Stuttgart. * ''Wilhelm v. Hirsau'', ed. Christian Berktold, in: Lexikon des Mittelalters, Band 9, Spalte 155f. * Zimmermann, G., 1963. ''Wilhelm von Hirsau'', in: Lebensbilder aus Schwaben und Franken, Band 9, ed. Max Miller and Robert Uhland, pp. 1–17. Stuttgart.


External links

*
Online Mon.Germ. Hist.
*

{{Authority control 1030s births 1091 deaths German Benedictines German abbots German music theorists 11th-century German clergy Benedictine abbots Benedictine beatified people German beatified people 11th-century Christian abbots St. George's Abbey in the Black Forest History of Catholic religious orders History of Catholic monasticism German astronomers Benedictine spirituality 11th-century German writers 11th-century writers in Latin 11th-century Christian theologians German musicians