HERMANN
267
HERMANN
Hermann of Altach (Niederaltaich), a medieval
historian; b. 120U or 1201; d. 31 July, 1275. He re-
ceived his education at the Benedictine monastery of
Niederaltaich, where he afterwards made his vows
and was appointed ctistos of the church. In this
capacity he became thoroughly acciuainted with the
records of the monastery. Under Abbot Ditmar
(1232-42) he was sent on important missions con-
cerning the interests of the monastery, first to the
emperor at Verona, then to the Roman Curia in 1239
and again iv 1240. On 27 October, 1242, he was elected
Abbot of Niederaltaich. During his abbacy of thirty-
one yeare the monastic discipline and the finances of
tlie monastery were greatly improved. On 12 March,
1273, he resigned his office on account of ill-health and
old age, and spent the remaining two years of his life
in retirement at his monastery. Hermann is the
author of a few historical works, of which the chief is
the " .4nnales Hermanni", reaching from 1 137 to 1273.
Up to 1 140 they are based on previous chronicles; but
from 1140 to 1173 they are the independent work of
Hermann and are considered one of the most impor-
tant historical sources for that period, especially as
regards the countries of Bavaria, Bohemia, and
Austria. His other literary productions are: "De
rebus suis gestis", an account of the various architec-
tural improvements made at Niederaltaich while he
was abbot; "De institutione monasterii .^Itahensis",
a short narration of the foundation of Altach; "De
advocatis Altahensibus", a brief liistory of the Dukes
of Bogen, patrons of Altach. The works of Hermann
were published by JafT6 in " Mon. Germ. Hist. ", XVII,
351-427, German translation by Weiland in "Ge-
schichtschreiberderdeutschen Vorzeit" (Berlin, 1871;
second edition, Leipzig, 1S98).
BRAUNMirLLER, Hermann Abt von Niederaltach in Verhand- luftffen des fust. ViTeins fur Niederbayern , XIX (Landshut. 1875), 24.5-;i2S; Idem, Prof/ra;Hm (MetU'a,_ 1876) ; Wichert, Die .4n- naten Hermanns von Nicderallaieh in Neues Archiv fur (iltere deulsehe Geschichtskunde. I (Hanover, 1876), 369-394: Kehr. HiTmann von Alfaich und seine Fortsetzer (Gottingen, 1883): MicH.\EL, iii'Sfhiehte des deutschen Volkes vom 13. Jatirk, biszurn Ausgang des MiUelallers, III (Freiburg, 1903), 350-4.
Michael Ott.
Hermann of Fritzlar. — With this name are con- nected two works on mysticism written in German. The first, "Das Heiligenleben ", preserved in a single manuscript, is a collection of ninety-one short ser- mons on the lives of the saints, composed between 1343 and 1349, the matter being drawn from other books, as is expressly stated in the introductory ser- mon. The sermons, which begin with the feast of St. Antlrew, contain here and there mystical considera- tions, wholesome and concise, which give the work a distinct place in the history of mysticism. Some are merely theoretical, as definitions, notes on union with God, the birth of Christ in the soul, etc.; others are based on the personal experience of the WTiter. This work, for a long time attributed to Hermann of Fritz- lar, whose name is (Quoted at the end, was compiled, at his request, by Gisiler of Slatheim, one of the Do- minican preachers of that period, who played a promi- nent part in the history of German mysticism. Gisi- ler, formerly a reader of theology at Cologne and Er- furt, had made for himself a collection of sermons; now he compiled another work, drawing largely from his former one, and adding, with several of his own sermons, extracts from the travels and mystical con- siderations of Hermann; the simultaneous use of the first and third person may be easily noticed.
The other work attributed to Hermann, "Blume der Schauung" (Flower of Contemplation), and quoted in the sermon on the Annunciation, has been lately found in a manuscript of Nuremberg; it con- sists of a number of questions, often loosely thrown together, on union with God through the contempla- tive life, the various models to be assigned to this life, the road to perfect contemplation, etc. ; many authori-
ties are quoted, especially St. Augustine, St. Bernard,
St. Thomas, Pseudo-Dionysius, Origen, Eckhart, etc.
In their mysticism the two works show traces of the
influence of Eckhart; but in neither can be exactly
determined the part due personally to Hermann.
Even the person of Hermann is only known from the
scattered suggestions and reminiscences in his works;
he was neither a Dominican nor a Franciscan, but a
pious lajTnan; lie sometimes attacks the manners of
the clergy; he had travelled much, but stories of travel,
descriptions of customs, etc., cannot always be used
as a proof of Hermann's authorsliip, as they are found
also in other collections of sermons (for instance the
carnival at Rome) ; the writer speaks chiefly of Rome,
then of Spain and St. James of Compostela, for he has
visited the tombs of all the Apostles save those of
Sts. John and Thomas; he has seen also Lisbon, Paris,
and St-Denis, Salerno, Amalfi, etc. The sermons, at
least the first set compiled by Gisiler, were written at
Erfurt.
Pfeiffer, Deutsche Mystiker des XIV. Jahrhunderts, I (Leip- zig, 1845), pp. xiii, 4 sqq.; Preger. Geschichte des deutschen Mystik.ll (Leipzig. 1881), pp. 89, 103, 426, etc. ; Strauch in Ameiger fur deutsches Altertnum und deulsehe Litteratur, IX (1883), p. 123 sqq. : Haupt. Heitrage zur Litteratur der deutschen Mystikerin Sitzungsberichle der philos.-hist. Classederkais. Akad. der Wissenschajten, LXXVI (Vienna, 1874), 51 sqq.; XCIV (1879), 235 sqq.
J. DE GhELLINCK.
Hermann of Minden, provincial of the German province of Dominicans ; b. at or near Minden on an unknown date ; d. shortly after 1294. He belonged to the noble family of ScjTme (Schinna), took the relig- ious garb of St. Dominic at Minden, became papal peni- tentiary and chaplain, acted as vice-provincial "super Rhenum" during the provincialate of Conrad von Eschingen (1277-81), was provincial of the German Dominican province 1280-90, and vicar of the provin- cial in 1293 and 1294. In the capacity of provincial he attended the German national Council of Wiirzburg in March, 1287. Hermann's provincialate occurreil in one of the most turbulent periods in the history of the German Dominicans. The secular clergy and the laity combined to prevent the spread of the youthful order. Especially serious were the quarrels of the order with the cities of Warburg and Strasburg, and with the cathedral chapters of Ratisbon and Zofingen. It was due to the energy and tact of Hermann that, despite all efforts to the contrary, the order continued to flourish in Germany. His literary activity was con- fined to two juridical works, " Tractatus de interdicto" and "De criminum inquisitionibus", and a number of letters. The first was a concise treatise on the ecclesi- astical interdict and based on the recent decrees of Innocent IV. It was written in 1270. The second work, of which neither manuscrijit nor print exists, regulated the inquisitorial proceedings against mem- bers of his order. His n\uuerous letters, which are of great historical value, were published by Finke (loc. cit. infra). An instruction concerning the "eura monialium", which Hermann sent in 12S7 to those of his subjects who were entrusted with the spiritual guidance of nuns, was published by Denifle in " Archiv fur Literatur und Kirchengeschichte" (Berlin, 1880), II, 049-051.
Finke, Ungedruckte Dominikanerbriefe des 13. Jahrh. (Pader- born, 1891), 22-43; Westfiitische Zeitschrift fur AUertumskunde, XLV, 120 sqq.; (^uetif and Echard, Scriptores Ord. PriEdica- torum (Paris, 1719), I, 434.
Michael Ott.
Hermann of Salza, fourth Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, descendant of the noble Thuringian house of Salza; b. 1180 at Langensalza in Thuringia; d. 19 March, 1239, at Barletta in Southern Italy. Nothing is known of him until in 1210 he succeeded Hermann Bart as Grand Master of the Teutonic Order. Soon after his accession he became one of the most influential persons in Europe, and the Teutonic
