LAMBERT
758
LAMBERT
Augustine, and St. Bernard), and even from profane
authors like Ovid, Virgil, and Cicero. Accused of
heresy, he was condemned and imprisoned notwith-
standing his appeal to the Holy See. He succeeded in
making his escape and went over to the Antipope Cal-
listus in, who had been recognized by Raoul of Zahr-
ingen, Prince-Bishop of Lic'ge. He wrote to the pope
several letters in justification of his doctrines and con-
duct, liut I he result of these endeavours is not known.
In all probability he returned to Liege and died there
in 1177.
Fayen, L* Antigraphum Petri et les leitres concemant Lambert le Begue conservees dans le manuRcrit de Glasgow in Compte- rendu des st'ances de la Commission royale d'histoire, IX (5th series, Brussels, 1899), 255 sqq.; Fredericq, Les documents de Glasgow concemant Lambert le Btgue in Bulletins de V Academie royale deBelgique.XXlXiSTd series. Brussels, 1895), 14S. 990; Daris, Notices historiques sur les Eglises du diocese de Litge, XVI (Li^ge, 1896), 5; Kurth, La Cite de Liege au Moyen-Age, II (Brussels, 1910), 344.
M. A. Fayen.
Lambert of Hersfeld, a medieval historian; b. in Franconia or Thuringi;i, c. 1024; d. after 1077. On 1.5 March, 10.58, he entered the Benedictine monastery of Hersfeld, in Hesse, and was ordained priest in the fall of the same year, at Aschaffenburg, by Bishop Liutpold of Mainz. Immediately after his elevation to the priesthood he started on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land without previously obtaining the permis- sion of his abbot. On 17 September, 1059, lie re- turned to his monastery and asked and obtained from his abbot, Meginher, who was then lying on his death- bed, pardon for this act of disobedience. Only once more during the rest of his life did Lambert leave his monastery. It was in the year 1071 when, by order of his abbot, Rudhard, he spent fourteen weeks at the monasteries of Siegburg and Saalfeld, studying the reform which had been introduced into these monas- teries from the Italian monastery of Fruttuaria in Piedmont. Lambert was not favourably impressed with the reform. In his opinion the old monastic discipline, if strictly observed, was more in accordance with the spirit of St. Benedict than the reform of Fruttuaria.
Lambert of Hersfeld is best known to the world as the author of " Annales Lamberti ", a chronicle of the world from its Ijcginning to the year 1077. Up to the year 1040 the Annals of Lambert are little more than a reproduction of preceding annals; from 1040 to 1068 they are more diffuse, and to some extent based on personal observation and the authority of eyewit- nesses; from 1008 to 1077 they widen into an elaborate history of the times written in the elegant style of Sallust and ranking among the most perfect literary productions of the Middle Ages. The impartiality and truthfulness of Lambert as a historian were un- questioned until the middle of the nineteenth century. The German histdriuu Hankc ["Zur Kritik fninkisch- deutscher Ueichsaiuudisten" printed in "Al)haiul- lungen der Berliner Akaderaie " (Berlin, 1854), 436 sq.] was the first to discredit Lambert's reliability as a historian. His view has been corroborated by the researches of most succeeding historians, some of whom have charged him even with wilful falsifications of historical facts. Lefarth and Eigenbrodt (loc. cit. in bibliograjdiy below) attempted to rehabilitate Lambert, but with little success. Though Lamtert may not liavc' been a wilful falsifier of historical facts, as has been asserted by Delbnick and Holder-Egger (loc. cit. below) it is an estaljlished fact that he was prejudiced against Henry I\' , not so much on account of the emperor's encroachments \ipoti the rights of the pope as on account of the injury sustained by the monastery of ]I('rsf<'ld through an imperial decree con- cerning the tithes in Thuringia (see Lambert's "An- nals", ad annum 107.'5, pp. 141 sq.). Though not in sympathy with the great itlcas of (iiregory VII, he was prepossessed in his favour simply because the emperor
was his enemy. His method, moreover, of writing
history was to a great extent pragmatic. Instead of
impartially investigating into the motives of his his-
torical personages, he is often led by his prepossessions
and prej\idices to give a very subjective colouring to
historical facts.
Lambert is also the author of " Vita Lulli " a life of Archbishop Lullus of Mainz who founded the monas- tery of Hersfeld in 768. It was written between 1063 and 107.3, is of even less historical value than the "Annals", but, like the " Annals ", it is a masterpiece of pure and elegant latinity. His history of Hersfeld, entitled " De institutione ecclesise Hersveldensis ", has been lost, with the exception of the prologue and a few fragments. It was written before the year 1076. His epic on the history of his times has been entirely lost. Some historians thought it was identical with "Carmen de Bello Saxonico ", written by an unknown author shortly after the victory of Henry IV over the Saxons (1075), but of late this opinion has lost ground. The complete works of Lambert were edited, with a learned disquisition, by Holder-Egger "Lamperti monachi Hersfeldensis opera " (Hanover, 1894). The "Annals" are printed separately in "Mon. Germ.: Script.", Ill, 22-263. They are also in P. L., up to the year 1040, C.KLI, 450-582, and from the year 1040 to 1077,('XL\I, 10.53-1248. Lambert's " Vita Lulh " is also printed in Acta SS., 16 October, VII, 1083-1001 and in "Mon. Germ.: Script.", XV, I, 132-148. Gvmdlach in " Heldenlieder der deutschen Kaiserzeit " (Innsbruck, 1894-99), II, 191, sq., and Kurze in "Deutsche Zeit.schrift fiir Geschichtswissenschaft ", New'Series (Freiburg im Br., 1898), II, 174 sq., at- tempt to prove that Lambert is identical with Abbot Hartwig of Hersfeld.
Holder-Egger. Studien zu Lambert von Hersfeld in Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft fiir altere deutsche Geschichtskunde (Han- over and Leipzig, 1893-4), XIX, 143-213; 371-430; 509-74; Meyer von Knonad, Janrbiicher des deutschen Ueiches unter Heinrith IV und Heinrich V (Leipzig, 1894), II, 791-856; Delbruck, Ueber die GUivbwiirdigkeit Lamberts von Hersfeld (Bonn, 1873); Dieffenbacher, Lambert von Hersfeld als His- toriograph (Wurzburg, 1890); Eigenbrodt, Lambert von Hers- feld und die neuere Quellenforschung (Cassel, 1896) ; Lefarth, Lambert von Hersfeld, ein Beitrag zu seiner Critik (Diisseldorf, 1871); KuBO, Beitrdge zur Kritik Lamberts von Hersfeld (Halle, 1890) ; Wattenbach, Geschichtsquellen im Mittelalter (Berlin, 1894), II, 97-109. For an exhaustive bibliography see Pott- hast, Bibliotheca historica medii oevi (Berlin, 1896), I, 705 sq.
Michael Ott.
Lambert of St-Bertin, Benedictine chronicler and abbot, b. about 1060; d. 22 June, 1125, at St-Bertin, France. He came of a distinguished family, and, when still young, entered the monastery of St-Bertin. He afterwards visited several famous schools in France, having first laid the foundation of his subse- quent learning by the study in his own monastery of grammar, theology, and music. For some time he filled (he otlicc of prior, and in 1095 was chosen abbot at once by the monks of St-Bertin and by the canons of St-Omcr. He was thus drawn into closer relations with Cluny, and instituted through the Cluniac monks many reforms in his somewhat deteriorated monas- tery. Needless to say, he encountered no little oppo- sition to his efforts, but, thanks to his extraordinary energy, he finally secured acceptance for his views, and rehabilitated the financial position of the monastery. He was a friend of St. Anselm and exchanged verses, still extant, with Reginald of Canterbury (ed. Liber- mann in " Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft fur altere Geschiehte",Xin, 1888, pp. 528; 531-34). Even dur- ing his lilelinie, Lambert was lauded in glowing terms for his great learning by an admirer — not a monk of St- Bertin — in the "Tractatus de moribus Lamberti Ab- batis S. Bcretini" (ed. Holder-Egger in "Mon. Ger. Hist. SS.", XV, 2, 946-53). This work mentions sev- eral otherwise unknown writings of Lambert, e. g. "Scrmones de Vetere Testamento", also studies on free will, the Divine prescience, original sin, origin of
