Professor of Medieval History (Later Middle Ages) PhD project Hanna Hirt
Humility and the renunciation of ostentatious burials in the late Middle Ages (working title)
For the late medieval elite, burials served religious and practical purposes as well as representing the prestige, power and wealth of the deceased and their kin. At the same time, it was important to act in accordance with Christian ideals. Especially in the face of death this could have a positive influence on the fate of the soul in the afterlife. This included a humble attitude and renouncing worldly interests. The resulting tension between worldly needs for representation and Christian demands for humility is focus of this project. By examining cases in which laypeople refrained from burial elements customary for people of their status in the handling of the corpse, the burial and the design of the tomb, the project aims to analyse and explain humility practices that have remained largely unexplored. The project aims to provide new perspectives on the late medieval funerary culture, on the concrete realisation of Christian ideals and on concepts of death and piety.
