Itinerant Scribes and Traveling Courts
Hey there, history enthusiasts! Finally, I gathered information on the early traveling scribes. I have wanted to do this because of my blog’s title ever since I started it. So, let’s journey back in time and explore the realm of itinerant scribes and the traveling courts that relied on their indispensable skills.
Let’s begin things in the heart of medieval Europe, where fewer people knew how to write, and not every writer had the luxury of a fixed address.
Vincent of Beauvais, a 13th-century Dominican friar, was more than just a scribe. His Speculum Maius – the OG Wikipedia – is one of the most ambitious encyclopedic works of the Middle Ages. This massive compilation sought to encompass all the knowledge of Vincent’s time, so he traveled far and wide collecting information for it.
Jean Miélot: This wasn’t your average wordsmith or secretary. Jean was the top scribe for the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good. The head dude for the area where my SCA persona, Jehanne Bening, lived. Talk about a high-profile gig!
But this tale stretches beyond the confines of Europe:
John of Damascus and Al-Biruni: These fellas were the travel bloggers of their time. From courts to monasteries, Central Asia to India, these knowledgeable people documented their discoveries with zest.
Marco Polo and Rustichello da Pisa, the dynamic duo of exploration and transcription, brought tales of the East to eager Western audiences. Some modern scholars base their whole careers on studying their works.
Ahmad ibn Fadlan: This famous 10th-century Muslim wanderer went from Baghdad to the Volga Bulgars, documenting all the wonders he encountered as a member of an embassy of the Abbasid caliph.
But wait, there’s more. There’s a whole other layer to this narrative. Like Philip the Good, the kings, queens, and nobles often had a retinue of scribes who traveled with them. Most of them are not known today by their names. But whether it was documenting a new treaty, recording a legendary battle, sending missives, or handling administrative duties on the fly, these court scribes were always on their toes. Take the Angevin kings of England, for instance. With vast territories stretching from England to France, their court scribes were often on the move, addressing everything from governance to warfare.
So, the next time you tap out a text or draft an email, spare a thought for these ancient writers. Without the luxuries of modern tech, they wrote stories and history, one careful stroke at a time. Here’s to the scribes of yore who ensured history and stories endured for us to find today.
Stay curious, stay safe. And until your next SCA scribal escapade, keep those pens and brushes going!
