This article demonstrates the reception of Thomas of Ireland's Manipulus florum (1306) and John of Wales' Communiloquium (ca. 1270) in a sermon by King Robert of Naples (1276-1343) promoting the revival of the military alliance known as the Lombard League, and also his use of the Manipulus in another sermon. A full edition of Robert's sermon "pro liga Lombardie" is appended. It also corrects the misattribution to Robert of a collection of anecdotes and quotations attributed to ancient philosophers and provides a brief comparative analysis of the short and long recensions of the Communiloquium.
Moving from Women and Preaching in Premodern Europe: Part One The Early Middle Ages to the Twelfth Century, this article extends the study of women's preaching into the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries, a period marked by both heightened restriction and creative adaptation. While scholastic authorities such as Thomas Aquinas and Henry of Ghent articulated negative theological arguments against women as public teachers, counter arguments and lived practice reveal a more complex reality. The figure of Mary Magdalene provided a scriptural and imaginative model for female preaching. Case studies of Angela of Foligno, Catherine of Siena, Ursula Haider, and others illustrate how women engaged in visionary, exegetical, and performative preaching across Europe.
Maria van Pee, a canoness regular in the Brussels convent of Jericho, wrote down seventy-seven sermons delivered by her confessor Jan Storm between 8 December 1459 and 27 December 1464. In doing so, she initiated a tradition of sermon writing at Jericho that continued until the early eighteenth century. This article investigates Maria's working methods, her motivations, and the evolution of her writing. It also explores the contributions of other, anonymous women who played a role in shaping a collection suitable for personal reading and meditation, as well as preparation for Mass, refectory reading, and educational use. By emphasising the complex and layered nature of this process, this article underscores the significance of collective authorship, especially in monastic contexts. Additionally, it advocates for greater recognition of women's contributions to the preservation of medieval preaching and the creation and dissemination of religious texts.
