Signs of Weakness in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 KRISTY DANIEL

SIGNS of Weakness

in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137

BY KRISTY DANIEL

ABSTRACT

The dissection of how Middle English supports the Peterborough Chronicle inspired by the rule of King Stephen allows for scholars to understand the weakness the nobility felt against the traitors. The combination of gendered-text, focus on disassociation between nobility and townspeople, and visualization of the downfall of the religious individuals warns rulers to have a strong foundation in their religion and interaction with their townspeople to maintain a strong connection across the people.

KEYWORDS

Middle English, language, literary elements, theme, weakness, text analysis, history

The Peterborough Chronicle 1137 is a historic account of King Stephen and his rule of England during the Middle Ages through a parable relating to the martyrdom of Saint William. The literature points to weakness of King Stephen and those involved in his reign through syntax, content, and focus. The author used feminine language during the Medieval Era to assist in symbolizing the king’s lack of involvement with the townspeople and the femininity of the traitors. Throughout the Peterborough Chronicle 1137, the author included the visual description of the torture done by the nobles; created chaotic perspective through the desperation of the townspeople and religious members; and an exposition of destroying homes to build castles only to be used against the town as ways to show weakness in the content. Through the analysis of the Peterborough Chronicle 1137, the gendered text, focus, and literary elements intentionally reflected on the theme of weakness if someone does not have a strong foundation in religion.

Feminine language supports the theme of weakness in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 by directing the reader to understand that the subject is weak. The separation of gender can be easily identified through singular and plural possessive articles and pronouns. Hi is the third-person singular feminine pronoun for ‘me’ or ‘them’ (Burrow and Turville-Petre 25). Throughout the literature, the use of hi is based on the object receiving the action of a verb. In total, there are seventeen counts of ‘hi’ being used in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137. The first accounts were to identify the castles the traitors were building and repossessing against the king. The text reads, “þa þe castles waren maked, þa fylden hi mid deovles and yvel men” l. 15-16 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 77). Translated, these lines state, “which castles were made, they filled them with devils and evil men.” The use of hi refers to the castles that were built by the traitors. The feminine pronoun for ‘they’ shows the weakness of the castles built due to them being run by nobles for a bad cause. Another example of hi used to signify an object of the disloyal nobles stems from the taxes on the villages (Burrow and Turville-Petre 78). The chronicle reads, “Hi laeden gæildes on the tunes ævre umwile and clepeden it ‘tenserie’” l. 36-37. Translated into Modern English, it reads, “They impose taxes on the towns repeatedly and called it ‘protected money.’ This encounter of hi refers to the nobles to show them as weak individuals who resort to crime against the town.

A common weak article that is used throughout the Peterborough Chronicles 1137 contains the use of ‘þa, þae, and þo’ which translates to ‘the’ (Burrow and Turville-Petre 26). Similar to hi, the articles are used to identify the weaker nouns used in the text. They are found used to describe the nobles and their treacherous tasks. The manuscript reads “Þa Þe wrecck men ne hadden nammore to gyven, Þa ræveden hi and brendon alle the tunes…” l.36-37 (78). The direct translation is, “the impoverished men had nothing to give, they [traitors] took it [what the townspeople had left] and burned all the towns.” The first use of þa specifically relates to the impoverished men. The feminine use of ‘the’ parallels the weakness of poverty in the text with the description of the man coming afterwards. The second use of þa points back to the reader’s prior knowledge of how little the townspeople have to give to the traitors. It continues the theme of weakness and disrespect for the townspeople based on their inability to pay for the taxes. Articles flip gender based on the noun and syntax in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 77). Pronouns and articles are easier to spot whether they are masculine or feminine based on the spelling used and the subject to which they substitute in the text. The use of pronouns and articles are just one of many details in the Peterborough

Chronicle 1137 that identify the focus on the villages and townspeople rather than King Stephen.

The use of hi and þa in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 to show weakness at the syntactical level can be counterargued as coincidental instead of deliberate. Because we cannot ask the original author, the use of feminine language could be deemed as coincidental. However, based on the specific placement of hi and þa in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137, it is safe to infer the femininity as intentional. The author chose to use feminine pronouns and articles to articulate the weakness of the King and nobles in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137. They do not make the literature weak as a whole, but create an illusion of what is weak in the content of the piece. Syntax plays a key role in understanding the author’s intent for the literature through the image of weak, poverty-stricken men or the castles built on weak morals. Through imagery, perspective, exposition, and symbolism, these literary elements draw attention to what is deemed important in the chronicle: the people.

The author of the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 uses three main literary elements for the focus to remain on the collection of villagers: imagery, perspective, and symbolism. Each one plays a specific part in understanding the intent of the chronicle as an historic account during the rule of King Stephen. Imagery can be defined as the ability to describe something to appeal to the senses. In the Peterborough Chronicle 1137, the author mainly uses visual sensory details to describe the torture of the townspeople. The author describes the crucethur as, “...in an ceste þat was scort and nrew and undep - and dide scærpe stanes þerinne, and Þrengde Þe man Þærinne ðat him bracon all Þe limes” l. 26-28 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 77-78). The ‘crucethur’ can be described in Modern English as ‘a short, narrow, and shallow chest - where sharp stones that crushed the men breaking all his limbs.’ The imagery details what types of torture a person would receive by the traitors of King Stephen. For nineteen years, villagers underwent this type of treatment and worse without any thought of hope for it to end. The chronicle is written for empathy for the townspeople and disturbance towards the nobles. The author added these details to invoke a negative emotional response against those who either did nothing (King Stephen) or executed the torture (the traitors). This, among other images in Peterborough Chronicle 1137 leave a question as to why King Stephen did not interfere with the continued treatment of the villagers. The image of not having a King react to the harmful treatment of his people symbolizes the theme of weakness within King Stephen. He did not have the strength to discipline the traited nobles of their actions. The imagery used to describe the crucethur is based on the perspective of the author’s experience.

The author of the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 is either a bishop, a monk, or a religiously affiliated individual that experienced the grievance of living under the rule of King Stephen based on the terrorism described (Burrow and Turville-Petre 79). Perspective is a literary element that creates the expectation of syntax and content. The author makes religious allusions as an explanation to why all the people are being maimed and mutilated during that time frame. Lines 52-55 share the religious explanation, “Warsæ me tilede, Þe erth ne bar nan corn, for pe land was al fordon mid swilce dædes; and hi sæden openlice ðat Crist slep, and his halechen. Swilc and mare Þanne we cunnen sæin we Þoleden xix wintre for ure sinnes” (Burrow and Turville-Petre 78-79). Those that survived believed the torture to be punishment for their sins and that Christ slept through all the pain and suffering they withstood. The bishops used religion as an explanation for why they were being mistreated to give peace of mind to those impacted.

Through a religious affiliation, the author ends the chronicle with martyrdom as to bring hope and positivity after the horrid treatment (Burrow and Turville-Petre 80). After all that the people had gone through, the chronicle shifts to the light of William Malduit who gathered monks, planted new vegetation, and constituted new life in the land bringing prosperity back into the lives of those who lived there. The author uses the historical account as a biblical allegory to put the church before one’s own desire, “On his [King Stephen] time þe Judeus of Norwic bohton an Cristen cild beforen Estren and pineden him all Þe ilce pining ðat ure Drihten was pined, and on Lang Fridæi him on rode hengen for ure Drihtines luve, and sythen byrieden him; wenden ðat it sculd ben forholen” l. 75-78 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 79-80). He ends with, “King Stephen bought a Christan child before Easter and tortured him the same that the Lord was tortured, and on Long Friday (Good Friday) hanged him on the cross for the Lord’s love and then buried him; when that should have been concealed.” The child was deemed Saint William. The author wrote the chronicle to support both history and the Bible through a parable which supports my claim the author as a bishop or monk. The perspective of the author as a religious individual gives the chronicle another layer of significance not only as to account for King Stephen’s weakness of ruling, but to also support the importance of religion and continuous practice. The parable the religious monk tells through the chronicle contains symbols of weakness for King Stephen and the individuals who place selfishness before religion.

Through perspective and imagery comes symbolism in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137. Symbolism is the ability to allude to a common theme, idea, or object through indirect language. While the

text itself is literal in context, the spirit of the text comes through in the syntax and ideology. The entire Peterborough Chronicle 1137 has a theme of weakness whether it is King Stephen, the castles built by weak traitors, or to succumb to human desire. The author uses these moments in the literature to build on the idea to be involved in religious practice in order to shun away greed by imprisoning family and become aware of the history being created in the present. These themes can be seen in the use of articles and pronouns to reinforce the concept continuously throughout the chronicle. The use of symbols reaffirms the weakness in townspeople and the castles built on weak principles. The author uses these elements in the content of the chronicle to create a parable that is educational and historic.

The content of the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 aims to focus on the treatment of the townspeople, their livelihood, and the destruction and rebirth of the sacred grounds to advance the details formed the idea of weakness on multiple levels. After the beginning explanation of King Stephen’s actions to imprison his family, give away the royal treasures, and lack of discipline, the rest of the chronicle explains what the commoners went through for nineteen years (Burrow and Turville-Petre 78). The focus turned away from the King himself to those that were tortured and put to building castles for nobles. These castles were held against the King and then repossessed by the traitors who filled it with similarly bad men. From the castles, the focus geared towards the torture the people experienced. The description of the people being hung by their feet, thumbs, and heads with the imagery of the crucethur, points to the main characters of the chronicle as the townsmen (Burrow and Turville-Petre 77). The author could have told the parable about the nobles and their side of history, however, that viewpoint would have humanized the nobles. Because the focus is on the villagers, it shuts out any life the traitors may have had. The author portrays them like monsters without any light of a soul. It adds to the picture of the town being weak against their grasp. The author focuses on the people’s despair and desperation as they fled the land, “sume fugen ut of lande” l. 41 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 78). The focus empathized with the townspeople which were the clear subject of the parable within the chronicle. The transition between the commoners and sacred was seamless due to the traitors not caring what type of person they were going to maul next. They did not hold back from persecuting any person they came across no matter their status, gender, religious affiliation, or power.

The focus of the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 switched the focus from the ordinary townspeople to the sacred individuals as an introduction to the religious significance of the literature. The author tells of the curses the bishops placed on the evil men, “Þe biscopes and lered men heom cursed ævre, oc was heom naht þarof, for hi weon al forcursæd and forsworen and forloren” l. 50-52 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 78). None of the curses did any good due to the traitors already being ‘accursed, forsworn, and abandoned.’ The inclusion of bishops supports the traitors not caring about status or type of people, but merely were greedy looking for ways to survive through the chaos they created. The chronicle reads, “Ne hi ne forbaren bisopes land ne abbots ne preostes, ac ræveden munekes and clerekes, and avric man other Þe overmyte” l. 46-48. Every man who had power robbed one another. They did not show mercy to any type of person whether friend or foe. The traitors were out for themselves individually. Without the specific section about the bishops being ravaged, during the Middle Ages, it would have been assumed the traitors were decent enough to leave the religious alone (Burrow and Turville-Petre 78). However, the author chose to incorporate the people of the villages and churches as a cohesive unit. Not only does combining the two groups contribute to the historical account, but it supports the weakness of the traitors that they did not have a religious moral foundation that would have prevented them from doing these acts.

The chronicle uses the destruction of sacred land as a transition point into the martyrdom of Saint William as a way to show strength after weakness. The Peterborough Chronicle 1137 shifts after “Swilc and mare Þanne we cunnen sæin we Þoleden xix winter for ure sinnes” l. 54-55 (Burrow and Turville-Petre 79). Nineteen years after the burning of the church, the monks gathered by Martin of Bec began to reconstruct and “goded it swythe and laet it refen” l. 60. The reconstruction took time with replant their crops, opening their homes to immigrants, and showing charity to one another. This did not all happen in one night either. The author states it took “xx winter and half gær and viii daies” l. 56-57 for the community to regroup after the destruction. It took twenty and a half years and eight days to restructure after Pope Eugenius III granted protection of the land from expropriation of the kingdom or nobility. At that moment, the author gives the power to the sacred instead of the royalty. This gave the sacred an opportunity to rebuild without worry about financial obligation to the king. They were able to focus their efforts to grow internally without needing to feel obligated to return anything to the king. Without the support of Pope Eugenius III, the church and all of its inhabitants would not have been able to resurrect their livelihood without approval of the king.

The Peterborough Chronicle 1137 supports the strength of religion through the production of crops and martyrdom of Saint William (Burrow and Turville-Petre 79). The author uses imagery to include the wealth of vegetation through “he makede manie

munekes, and planted winiærd, and makede mani weorkes, and wende Þe tun betere Þan it ær wæs, and wæs god munec and god man, and foÞi him luveden God and gode men” l. 70-73. The harvest was more fruitful after the reign of King Stephen because the church grew stronger with William Malduit (Burrow and Turville-Petre 79). His love for God and good workers was strong enough to encourage people to work harder and tend to the crops. The strength of William inspired the continuous growth of the community to bond as a whole and focus on their wellbeing through religion. The focus on the community ends with the martyrdom of Saint William through his strength in the community and experiences similar to Christ (Burrow and Turville-Petre 80). Without the uplifting ending, the chronicle would not have a telling story with a clear theme and purpose. This third transition ties together the theme in the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 from an event in history for a greater purpose. The focus of what good came out of the evil gives back hope for kindness and empathy. The literature explains St. William’s martyrdom by comparing his mockery and torment “pining dat ure Drihten was pined, hengen for ure Drihtines love, and ssythen byrieden him” l. 76-78 to Christ’s hanging on the cross to the hanging (Burrow and Turville-Petre 80). They were tormented for the Lord’s love and to relieve the sins of others. Saint William is compared to Christ through his “Drihtin wunderlice and manifaeldlice miracles” l. 81. William’s strong love for the Lord and his ability to work ‘miracles’ by encouraging community engagement shows strength in religion and their faith. Both Saint William’s torment and Christ’s hanging gave opportunity and freedom to the people who believe and worship through religion. Thus, the parable reaffirms the theme of weakness comes from placing personal desires before faith and religion.

I argue the theme of strength through weakness is shown throughout the Peterborough Chronicle 1137 based on the syntax used in the details of articles and pronouns, the literary elements of imagery, perspective, and symbolism; and the transitioning focus throughout to turn the chronicle into a parable with religious undertones. Through an analysis of the text, the support for weakness shows through King Stephen’s rule, the traitor’s lack of moral empathy, and the symbolism of the castle as the strength of religion for growth and harmony. The Peterborough Chronicle 1137 inspires a strong foundation of religion in order to overcome the weakness of the nobility and royalty. Further research on the background of King Stephen and the impact of the terror could provide more evidence and support for historical accuracy and preservation. An in depth look into religious practices and understanding during the Middle Ages would provide evidence of how religion plays into the content of the literature.

WORKS CITED

Burrow, J. A. and Thorlac Turville-Petre. A Book of Middle English. Third Edition. Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2004. Print.