17 oct

There is a lot to be learnt from the Rise and Fall of Cluny. By the beginning of the 12th century it was one of the most dominant powers of the Western world. Its abbotts could look the Holy emperor, the pope, and the kings of France and England in the eye.
What were the secrets of this success? And are there lessons to be drawn from it? Or are the lessons more evident from its gradual decline afterwards? And what were the reasons for this decline?
Four crucial questions. It takes a lot of walking around to think about answering them.
Cluny was founded in the year 910. Its founder, the Duke of Aquitaine, was one of the richest men in France. He was about to die and had to do something to make up for his past sins, including murder. Founding an abbey was the popular thing to do. Duke William did something special. He made sure that the abbot of Cluny did not have to defer to any worldly or religuous superiors, except for the pope himself. So Cluny was independent from the influence of counts, kings and bishops. This made it unique.
Another blessed directive in its founding documents was that, if a new monastery would be started from Cluny, not uncommon in those days, this monastery would still fall under the ‘jurisdiction’ of the abbot of Cluny. This caused a very clear and distinctive chain of authority. Daughter abbeys of Cluny could found their own daughters. Which could found their own little daughters again. These great granddaughters still adhered to the rule of Cluny.
The monks of Cluny could also elect their own abbot, if the former abbot had died. So the choice of the abbot was no political decision by the local rulers, which was normal practice. One could call this a kind of rule by employees. The employee was definetely the most important stakeholder at Cluny. But then again, one could view the employee also as a kind of shareholder of Cluny as well. Who otherwise owns the abbey?
The fourth reason for its success was a range of excellent abbots that mastered over Cluny in its first two centuries. They were all from noble families, which was normal in those days. Most of them had a good education. So there was money and brains. But they also became abbot at a relatively young age. And they lived a long life! In the first two centuries Cluny only had five abbots. The whole 11th century, Cluny’s most successfull time, was controlled by only two abbots. Odilo was abbot from 994 till 1049, his successor Hugh from 1049 till 1109. This caused a kind of stability which is remarkable for the period. Just to compare, there were more than 20 popes in this period, although that is also caused by the fact that at some periods there were rivalling popes.
The most important factor for the rise of Cluny is that success breeds its own success. (And in the process lays the foundations for its own decline, but that is for later!) The only real measure for power, also in the Middle Ages is money. Money is generated through land. And land is donated to abbeys by landowners, like Duke William – who owned the area of Cluny – who think that this gets them in a more favorable position on the day of the Last Judgment. Donating land, or something else of value, assures one of a place in Heaven. The best way to assure this is to donate to a place or person that is considered most helpful in that cause. Cluny was that place. It became popular from its founding, and by being popular it became powerful. And by being powerful it became more and more popular, until its power was beyond imagination in the beginning of the 12th century.