Gervase of Tilbury

Gervase of Tilbury (French Gervais de Tilbury, * 1150, † 1235 ) was an English jurist, historian and geographer. He came from the Norman nobility and was successively in the service of King Henry II of England, Archbishop William of Reims, of King William II of Sicily, Archbishop of Arles Humberts and Emperor Otto IV, the grandson of the English Norman King Henry II gave this him the title and dignity of Marshal of the Imperial Court of the Kingdom of Arelat. In his later years Gervase was a member of a Prämonstratenserkapitels in Burgundy.

" Imperial leisure hours "

Gervase 's major work, the otia imperialia ( " Imperial leisure hours " ), a well- 1209-1214 authored world history and description of Emperor Otto IV It is not only the scholarly encyclopedic geography and world history processes, but there are also legends and miracle stories from the medieval oral narrative literature of England and the Mediterranean world collected. Such deliver the otia "important evidence for the Virgil legend, the Arthurian tradition, the contemporary witches and demons faith and for the Feenmythologie and the motif Melusine " ( Maaz ).

Author of Ebstorfer world map?

Gervase is also discussed as the author of Ebstorfer world map, which is not refuted by the late dating theses of the card ( development of the existing to 1943 instance " 1300 " ), as must be expected (one or more ) intermediates ( Armin Wolf). In this context, the occurrence of an imperial notary Gervase 1215 and Ebstorfer founding provost of the same name plays a role. The former Premonstratensian Abbey St. Mauritius Ebstorf in Lüneburg had been burned at an unknown time and 1217/1219 revived as a Benedictine nunnery. Choosing a Prämonstratensers to the monastery provost fit into the institutional development Ebstorfs, probably because of the Premonstratensian claims were berücksichten. It should be noted further that Otto IV for his minor nephew was regent of the Lüneburg part of the country until his death ( 1218 ).

Editions and translations

• Gervase of Tilbury: otia Imperialia. Recreation for at Emperor. Edited by James W. Binns and Shelagh E. Banks. Oxford 2002 ( Latin text with English translation).
• Gervase of Tilbury: Imperial leisure hours. Otia imperialia. Introduced, translated and annotated by Heinz Erich Stiene, ( Library of Medieval Latin Literature 6 /7). Stuttgart 2009 ( German translation ).