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Centrum Studiów Mediewistycznych
Utrecht University
A natural starting-point for the discussion of the chronology and rhythm of development of ecclesiastical pragmatic literacy in medieval East Central Europe is the investigation of the institutions which produced the written records, and the documents they produced as the results of their work. However, a well-balanced assessment of the role and various functions of the written word in the ecclesiastical administration and judiciary and in pastoral care requires placing local phenomena in a broad comparative perspective. This prevents one from thoughtlessly labelling regional developments as ‘exceptional’ or ‘delayed’ compared to those in the medieval West. The purpose of the paper is to present various parallel rhythms in the development of pragmatic literacy in medieval Latin Europe, in the context of the interaction between cultural centres and peripheries.